The Damned
by Avril Lambert
Summary: Jim Hawkins is the new cabin boy on a pirate ship. He is forced into an affair with the ship's ruthless captain, Princess Kida, even after he falls in love with someone else. When Kida kidnaps another princess for ransom, the crew sees just what kind of person their captain is. Soon, lines are crossed and everyone learns when you're part of The Damned, anything goes.
1. Chapter 1

Jim Hawkins gripped the strap of his bag as he stepped aboard the pirate ship, The Damned. His mom had forbidden him from sailing until he was eighteen. The day after his eighteenth birthday Jim was hired as a cabin boy on The Damned and today was the day he had been waiting for his entire life; he was finally going to live a life at sea.

Jim stopped to look around the deck but as soon as he did, someone ran into him. He spun around, ready to snap at whoever it was, but he was completely taken aback to see a young woman standing behind him. She was a little taller than him, skinny and had long brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She put her hand on her hip and glared at him with her purple eyes.

"Are you just gonna stand there?" she asked, more than annoyed.

"Sorry, I..." Jim was still a little surprised to see a woman aboard the ship. He had never heard of a female sailor; in fact, he had always heard it was bad luck to bring a woman on a ship.

She rolled her eyes and pushed passed him. Jim watched her walk away and realized that among all the men on the deck there were also two other women.

"You must be Hawkins."

Jim looked up to see a tall man walking towards him. "Yes, sir."

He nodded. "My name is Phoebus, I'm the boatswain. The captain asked me to show you to the kitchen and introduce you to the cook."

Phoebus looked distracted, like he was trying to figure out a thousand different things at that moment. He motioned for Jim to follow him and they made their way below deck. The kitchen was dark, but it was a bit bigger than Jim had pictured. There were a couple pots scattered on the counters and stove, but the rest of the kitchen was clean and organized.

"Tiana!" Phoebus called out.

Suddenly a young woman popped up from behind the counter in front of them. She was holding a small pot and a wooden spoon, but she set them down when she saw Phoebus and Jim.

"What brings you down here, Phoebus?" Tiana asked, giving him a small smile.

"This is Jim Hawkins; your new cabin boy," Phoebus said.

Tiana nodded. "Right, of course. Thank you, Phoebus."

Phoebus immediately turned and left the kitchen. Tiana stepped out from behind the counter and extended her hand out to Jim.

"I'm Tiana," she said.

Jim shook her hand. "Jim."

Tiana was beautiful and classy looking; Jim couldn't help thinking she didn't look like she belonged on a pirate ship.

Tiana noticed Jim was staring at her and she frowned. "What is it?"

"Sorry," Jim said. "I just wasn't expecting so many women to be on the ship."

"Yes, well, our captain is a little...unconventional." Tiana started untying her apron. "Anyways, we're about to launch. Set your bag down anywhere and then you can go up to the deck to watch. Meet me back down here afterwards."

With that Tiana walked out of the kitchen and Jim was left alone. He dropped his bag on the floor next to the wall and hurried up to the deck. There were a lot more people on deck now, including a couple more women. However, the men still outnumbered the women. Jim walked over the edge and scanned the crowd on shore for his mother. He had a little difficulty finding her at first, but as they pulled away he spotted her at the end of the dock. She saw him at the same time and waved. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she still managed a small smile. Jim waved back and kept his eyes on her until the ship was too far from the dock and he could no longer see her.

Jim sighed and turned to go back to the kitchen. But, when he turned around he nearly crashed into a man and woman who were standing behind him. The man stood up straight with a stern expression on his face. The woman had perfect tan skin and white hair that fell over her face as she looked Jim up and down.

"You must be the new cabin boy," the woman said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, ma'am," Jim said. "My name is Jim Hawkins."

"I'm aware of who you are," she said. "I'm Princess Kida, the captain of this ship. And this is my first mate, John Smith."

Tiana wasn't kidding when she said the captain was unconventional. Never had Jim thought a princess would be the captain of a pirate ship.

"Report back to the kitchen," John said after a few moments. "And try to stay out of everyone's way."

"Yes, sir." Jim slipped passed them and hurried down to the kitchen.

Tiana was already down there, waiting for him. She looked around the kitchen, then back at Jim.

"I don't have anything for you to do now," Tiana said. "Bring your stuff to the crew's sleeping quarters. I'll have you mop the deck while the rest of the crew has dinner. Afterwards, I'll need you to clean the kitchen and do the dishes."

"Yes, ma'am."

"It's not necessary to be formal with me, Jim," Tiana said. "You can call me Tiana."

Jim nodded as he picked his bag up off the floor.

"Be on the deck in a half an hour," Tiana called after him.

Jim turned to acknowledge he had heard her, but she was already cooking dinner so he continued on to the sleeping quarters. When he got there, no one else was around. He set his bag on a hammock that looked like it was unoccupied, then sat down on it.

"Cabin boy?"

Jim was startled to see Kida and he stumbled to his feet. "Sorry, Captain, I didn't see you there."

"Cabin boy, I need to see you in my office immediately." Kida turned on her heel and started walking away. Jim followed after her.

It was a bit of a walk to the captain's office and when they reached it, Kida waited for Jim to enter before closing the door behind them and locking it.

"We don't know each other very well, cabin boy," Kida said as she sat down on her desk. "So, let me tell you something; when I see something I like, I take it. Fight or no fight; I _always _get what I want. That being said, cabin boy; I want you."

"Captain, I don't-"

Kida cut him off with a sharp look. "Don't you talk back to me, boy. Not only am I your captain, but I am also a princess. So you _will _do as I say, do you understand?"

Jim stared at her for a moment, but then responded hesitantly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Kida slid off her desk and slowly walked over to Jim.

She stopped when she was only a couple inches away from him. She tilted her head towards his until he could feel her breath on his neck.

"Kiss me," she whispered.

Even though Kida was a beautiful woman, Jim had no desire to kiss her or do anything physical with her. It just felt wrong to him. But the way Kida was looking at him told him she didn't care what he wanted. So, he gave in and kissed her. Once their lips met, she sighed and then pushed him against the wall. Before Jim knew what was happening, Kida was taking off his clothes and throwing them aside. She then stepped back and removed her own clothing. Jim felt uncomfortable and awkward as they both stood their completely naked. She smiled seductively at him, then walked over to her desk and sat down on it again. She wiggled her finger at him, beckoning him to come to her. Jim did as he she wanted. She wrapped her arms around him and then pulled his body into hers.

X X X

When Kida was finally done with Jim, he quickly put his clothes back on and headed towards the door.

"Cabin boy..."

Jim slowly glanced at Kida over his shoulder. "Yes, Captain?"

"I _will _see you again."

"Yes, ma'am." Jim lowered his head and hurried out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jim reached the deck, he found a bucket of soapy water and a mop waiting for him. He immediately got to work on mopping the deck. He pushed the mop furiously across the floor as if the mop was also cleaning out his memory of what just happened with Kida.

"Bad day?"

Startled, Jim looked up to see the woman who had run into him earlier sitting on the edge of the boat. She held out a cigarette to him, but he shook his head. She shrugged, then struck a match on the edge of her boot and lit the cigarette. She tossed the match into the water

"So, what's your deal, kid?" she asked, taking a drag.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jim said, lowering his eyes to concentrate on mopping.

"That's good, 'cause I don't actually care," she said.

Suddenly light spilled out over them as the deck door flew open and a couple stumbled up the stairs. He was tall and muscular with black hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was tan, darker than Kida, with thick black hair held back with a ribbon. There were small bells tied to her skirt and every time she moved, they jingled. At first they didn't notice they weren't alone and they embraced in a passionate kiss. The woman who had just been talking to Jim cleared her throat and the couple pulled apart.

"Who's there?" the man I asked.

"It's me," she replied flatly.

"Meg?" he smiled mischievously and walked over to Jim and Meg. He leaned on the edge of the boat. "I'm taking Esmeralda here up to my quarters to show her a good time. Why don't you join us, Nutmeg?"

Meg blew a puff of smoke into his face. "No thanks."

The man frowned and straightened up; he was at least a foot taller than Jim. "I'd be careful if I were you, Meg." He went back over to Esmeralda, put his arm around her, and the two of them left.

Jim and Meg were left in silence and he couldn't help but look up at her. Meg was still staring at the spot where the couple had disappeared. She had a look of fear on her face that was mixed with a hint of jealousy.

"Friend of yours?" Jim asked.

"Not exactly," Meg replied. "That's Gaston; Captain Kida's fiancée."

Jim's eyes widened in shock. "Captain Kida's _engaged_?"

Meg nodded. "Yup. It's an arranged engagement, though. Well, more like a business deal, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"Princess Kida's family is broke and Gaston's is wealthy," Meg said. "They get married, she gets money and he gets power."

"But aren't Gaston and Esmeralda..." Jim let his sentence trail off.

"Sleeping together?" Meg finished. Jim nodded. "Yeah, they are. Gaston doesn't take his engagement to Princess Kida very seriously. He takes advantage of any woman who will let him. And, trust me; there is no shortage of women who want him. He's laid with every woman on this ship."

"Even you?" Jim almost immediately regretted asking the question, realizing that was personal.

Meg didn't seem offended, though. "Yes. Although, I'm the only woman who doesn't actually want him. That's why I'm his favorite; he likes the challenge. I always give into him, though. I mean when the prince to be- and future king- wants you to do something, you do it."

Meg's eyes were now distant and sad. Jim reached out and gently touched her hand. She flinched and pulled her hand away. She regained her composure and gave Jim a small smile.

"Esmeralda, on the other hand, wants Gaston more than anything. She'll sleep with anyone, actually. She's, like, the ship whore," Meg said.

"Does Kida sleep with many men as well?" Jim asked.

Meg thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Some of the crew thinks she's too obsessed with this ship and sailing to be bothered with men. Some of them think she has a thing going on with her first mate, John. But, I know that's not true since John is gay. Not that any of that matters, though. Gaston is the jealous type and no man is stupid enough to go against him or mess around with his girl."

"Yeah... He's a beast of a man."

Meg blew a puff of smoke up in the air. "That he is." She tossed the rest of her cigarette overboard.

"How do you know all of this?" Jim asked.

Meg chuckled. "This ship is big, but it's not that big; people talk."

"And some people talk too much."

Jim and Meg both looked up to see Kida approaching them. Meg quickly hopped off the edge and gave Kida a half bow. Jim just stared at Kida.

"Leave us, Megara."

"Yes, Princess." Meg squeezed between Kida and Jim and hurried below deck.

"You're engaged," Jim stated when Meg was out of earshot. "But not to just some prince. No, to a jealous man who could snap me in half if he wanted to."

"Don't worry about Gaston; he'll never find out," Kida said.

"No disrespect, ma'am, but I don't want to play this game," Jim said. He started to walk away, but Kida stepped in front of him.

"You want to talk about disrespect, cabin boy? All right, how 'bout this: my fiancée is whoring it up with every woman he can get into our bed and that includes every woman on my ship. And the men on this ship applaud him and cheer him on like he's some kind of hero because of this. Meanwhile, I'm the only female pirate captain on these waters and I have to fight tooth and nail to prove myself to men who will always look down on me because I'm not only a woman, but also a princess." Kida paused and took a breath. "You're different, kid, I know that. You respect me, as you should. But, you also fear me because, unlike most men, you know what kind of power I have. So, I _know _you will continue to obey my orders."

Jim narrowed his eyes at Kida, but didn't say anything.

Kida smiled at him. "Now, I happen to know Gaston is preoccupied with a certain gypsy, so why don't you join me in my office again?"

"Forget it, Princess. Find yourself a different play thing. I'm not going against Gaston."

Kida grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. "It's not Gaston you should be afraid of, cabin boy; it's me."


	3. Chapter 3

Meg was watching Jim and Kida get into a heated discussion on the deck when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She didn't have to turn around to know it was her boyfriend, Hercules. She leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. Hercules pulled her closer and lowered his mouth to her ear.

"You wanna disappear?" he whispered.

Meg sighed and nodded. Hercules took her hand and they snuck down to the brig. Whenever The Damned attacked another ship, Kida never left any survivors and very rarely took prisoners (unless they proved to be of use to her), so the brig was almost always empty. Most of the crew didn't even know the ship had a brig, so Meg and Hercules never had to worry about being disturbed while down there. They sat down in their usual corner, back behind all the barrels, and Meg snuggled up close to Hercules. Hercules put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"The next time we dock, I'm jumping ship," Meg said. "I can't deal with Kida and Gaston anymore; especially Gaston."

"Meg, you know you can't do that. You love being a sailor and Kida is the only captain who will allow a woman on their ship," Hercules said.

"Then I'll give up sailing," Meg replied, getting a little frustrated. "I'll live on some deserted island where no one will ever find me and I can finally have some peace."

Hercules chuckled quietly. "We both know you wouldn't be able to handle that."

"I could do it," Meg insisted.

"Meg, you were born to be _on _the water," Hercules said. "Not, on an island _looking _at the water."

Meg groaned in frustration. "Well, I can't be on this ship anymore. I'm so sick of being Gaston's little toy."

Hercules tensed a little. He hated Gaston because of the way he treated Meg and it hurt him to see Meg upset about it.

"It's gonna be all right," Hercules finally said. "Gaston will get what's coming to him."

"And what about Kida?" Meg asked. "She's killed so many people, and she's _still _on top. Face it, Hercules; that whole 'good triumphs over evil' thing doesn't actually happen. It's the bad people who conquer and the rest of us fall. That's just how it is."

"Meg, you can't think like that."

"How else am I supposed to think?" Meg asked. "If the good people were the ones who won, then _you'd _be the captain of this ship. You're kind and gentle and thoughtful and generous and the whole crew loves you. Plus, you know this ship better than anyone; you've been sailing under Kida the longest."

"I'm just a gunner," Hercules said. "There's a lot of other people who would be captain before me."

"If Kida and Gaston were gone, John would be the next in line to be captain. But since he's gay no one in the crew likes him. They're more likely to try and kill him then vote him as captain," Meg said. "But, they would vote for you, Hercules."

"That sounds like a nice dream," Hercules said.

Meg sat up and looked at Hercules. "It doesn't have to be a dream. All we have to do is get rid of Kida and Gaston and this ship would be ours- _all _of ours."

Hercules cupped Meg's face in his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "You forget that not everyone on this ship feels the same way about Kida that you do. Most of the crew is loyal to her and would not take something happening to her lightly."

Meg sighed in defeat. "That deserted island is starting to look more and more inviting."

Hercules laughed and pulled Meg back down to him. "Just hang in there, Meg. There are worse things than sailing under Princess Kida."

X X X

After he was done with all the chores Tiana assigned him, Jim retired to his hammock. He crossed his hands behind his head and stared up at the darkness. He had managed to get out of joining Kida in her office again, but she had been very angry. She said something about getting respect and then stormed off.

Jim was just drifting off to sleep when a sudden scream came from outside. Jim sat up and he could hear a lot of commotion on the deck. He slipped his boots back on and hurried up there. A crowd had gathered and they were all looking at the same thing. Jim pushed his way forward and froze when he finally saw what was going on. Esmeralda was standing there, naked, with her hands tied to a mass and Kida was standing beside her, holding a whip. Jim watched in horror as Kida swung the whip and lashed it across Esmeralda's back. Kida met Jim's eyes and she gave him an evil smirk before whipping Esmeralda again. Other than the few tears she let fall down her cheeks, Esmeralda's face remained expressionless.

After Esmeralda had received several lashings, Gaston finally stepped forward.

"That's enough, Kida," Gaston said.

Kida glared at him. "No. An example is being made here." She faced the rest of the crew. "I know all about what you whores are doing with my fiancée behind my back and it ends tonight. From now on anyone who is caught sleeping with Gaston will receive the same punishment as this gypsy."

Kida went to strike Esmeralda again, but Gaston grabbed her wrist and took the whip from her. He tossed it aside, then pulled a knife out of his boot and cut Esmeralda free. She immediately fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Anastasia, take her below and tend to her wounds. The rest of you, disperse," Gaston instructed.

The red-headed surgeon and her assistant, Jane Porter, hurried to Esmeralda's side and helped her up. The rest of the crew made their way below deck while Gaston went up to his and Kida's room. Jim hung back until no one else was around and then approached Kida; who was leaning over the edge and staring out at the ocean.

"Why did you do that?" Jim asked her.

"I told you: I will get this crew to respect me and I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen," Kida said, without turning around.

"She didn't deserve what you did to her," Jim said. "Especially since me and you were just doing the same thing a few hours ago."

Kida turned around. "I did this _because _of you."

"What?"

"I wanted you to get a little glimpse of what I'm capable of doing to someone who crosses me," Kida said. "Defy me again and your punishment will be much worse than Esmeralda's."

**Note: I know Anastasia is not Disney. She and Dimitri will both be in this story, but since they have somewhat minor roles, I didn't think it was necessary to make this a crossover.**


	4. Chapter 4

Jim had just finished doing the dishes when Tiana set a tray with two plates of food in front of him.

"Bring these up to the captain and Mr. Smith," she instructed. "They're in her office."

Jim nodded. "Sure."

He picked up the tray and made his way up to Kida's office. Her door was open when got there and he heard Kida talking bitterly to John.

"...it just isn't right," Kida was saying. "It's hard enough for me to get respect as a woman, so you can imagine what I have to deal with as a woman captain with a gay first mate."

Jim cleared his throat and Kida looked up at him.

"Oh, Jim, come in. Just set the tray on my desk." She turned back to face John. "Isn't there _any _woman you like?"

"No."

Kida picked up her plate of food, but didn't make an attempt to eat it. "Look, John, you know I don't care what your preference is; it's just that I'm trying really hard to make a name for myself and I just keep hitting one obstacle after another."

"Ma'am, no disrespect; but John can't change his sexuality anymore than you can change your gender," Jim interjected. "But, think about it: if you were to come out on top, you'd really put all those other men in their place. You'd show them they were wrong."

Kida gave him a tired look. "That's not the point, kid. It's not just about coming out on top; it's about being respected and _feared. _Who's going to fear a captain who can't even keep her own crew in line?"

"Pardon my intrusion, Captain." A young man with short black hair and blue eyes hurried into the office and went straight to Kida's desk. He set a couple of scrolls down on the desk. "But, I have to show you this."

"Of course, Eric; what is it?" Kida asked, leaning over her desk. "Have you found the nearest port?"

Eric pointed at a larger map. "We're here and Port Isle is here. However," he pointed at another scroll, "we're about to hit a major storm. I highly recommend we dock at this little island here," he pointed at the large map again, "until it passes."

"Nonsense, Eric. We'll stay on course to Port Isle," Kida said. "We don't need any detours."

Eric looked worried. "But, Captain-"

"It's final," Kida snapped. "John, get the crew in position. Eric, I want you at the helm. Take us to port."

Eric frowned. "Aye, Captain." He gathered his stuff and then he and John walked out of the office.

"I don't need you right now, Jim." Kida waved her hand dismissively.

Jim nodded and left. He went back down to the kitchen to see if Tiana needed anything, but she wasn't down there. He sat down at one of the tables and leaned back against the wall.

Jim was only down in the kitchen a few minutes when the ship started rocking back and forth. Jim gripped the table and frowned. Eric hadn't been kidding about the storm. He ran up to the deck, but couldn't see much. Rain was coming down hard and small waves were crashing up against the ship. Everyone was running around the deck trying to secure everything as quickly as possible, but the wind was so strong it was making it hard to move. A wave hit the left side of the ship, causing it to tilt to the right. Jim grabbed the railing to keep from falling over, but the deck was slippery and he fell anyway. Above him he could see Eric struggling to keep the helm steady. Kida hurried up to the deck and looked around. She, too, saw Eric struggling and was about to go up to him, when a huge wave suddenly towered over he ship. Everyone looked up at it in horror, then began gravitating to anything they could hold onto. The wave slammed down on the ship and everyone was briefly under water.

They had just enough time to take in air before another wave crashed over the ship. This one knocked Eric down and washed him over the edge of ship.

"Man overboard!" someone shouted.

Kida immediately grabbed the helm and kept it steady. Jim managed to get a look over the edge, but he didn't see Eric anywhere. His search was cut short, however, when two large waves rose up on either side of the ship. They both hit the ship at the same time; one came straight down, while the other hit the deck horizontality. The water swirled around them and they were under water much longer than last time. The railing Jim was holding onto snapped and he was instantly thrown across the deck. He reached out for anything he could grab, but there was nothing. He was approaching the edge of the ship, when a strong arm wrapped around him and pulled him back. He was instantly pinned under someone and pressed against some part of the ship. Though, since the deck was still under water, Jim was disoriented and had no idea what part of the ship he was on. The ship jerked to the side and all the water spilled back over the side.

Jim took a deep breath and sighed in relief. It was then that he realized John was the one who saved him. Jim was about to thank him when a large snap came from above them. He looked up to see one of the masts had broken and was now falling over. John gripped Jim by the arm and they hurried out of the way. One of the female sailors scaled the mast next to it and threw a rope around the broken mast. She started pulling on the rope while the rest of the crew pushed up on the mast. She tied the rope around the other mast and the broken mast stayed in place.

"Well, done, Mulan!" Kida called out.

Everyone's relief was short lived, however, when the choppy water started whipping the ship back and forth. Kida lost control of the helm was thrown to the side.

"Land ho!"

Jim turned to see they were being pushed at full speed towards a fast-approaching island. Kida stumbled to her feet, but couldn't get to the helm in time. Jim gripped the edge of the boat and John placed himself protectively over Jim as they braced for impact.


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to say a very very special thank you to disney-fr3ak and Solaria daughter of Apollo for reviewing each of my chapters so far... **

Meg must have been knocked unconscious on impact because when she opened her eyes, the sun was shining brightly over her. She blinked at the unexpected light and sat up. Not far from her the ship's carpenter, Belle, had most of the crew gathered and was giving them instructions on repairing the ship.

"Megara!"

Meg looked up at Kida who was now standing over her with her hands on her hips.

Meg got to her feet. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm taking some of the crew on shore to look around; I want you to come with me," Kida said.

"Yes, ma'am."

Meg followed Kida off the ship and joined the rest of the group. They began walking down the shore, but stopped short when they saw Eric lying motionless on the beach. Kida knelt down beside him and put her hand on his chest.

"He's alive, but he's not breathing," she said. She brought her mouth down to his and began giving him CPR.

Eric started coughing up water and rolled over on his side.

"Eric, I can't believe you're alive," Kida said.

Eric looked up at the group gathered around him, but his eyes were distant. "A mermaid rescued me."

Kida rolled her eyes. "Jane, take Eric to Anastasia to get him checked out."

Jane nodded and helped Eric to his feet.

"I'm not making this up," Eric told Jane.

"Of course you're not," Jane said, gently.

Kida watched them walk away, then slowly shook her head and turned back to her group. "Merida, you and Tiana go gather food. Thomas, Naveen and Dimitri, get as much wood as you can to help repair the ship. John, Meg and Flynn, you come with me."

The group dispersed and did what they were instructed. Meg and Flynn followed Kida and John further in the island. Meg looked around, but stayed close to them. She knew if she got lost Kida wouldn't try finding her; she would just leave her there.

"Hold up," Kida whispered.

They stopped and Kida pointed forward at three figures walking towards them. The four of them slowly drew their swords. As the figures came into better view, they could see it was a woman and two men. Each of them had dark hair and tan skin. They stopped in front of the group. The woman gave Kida a small nod.

"We mean you no harm," the woman said. Meg was surprised at the woman's perfect English. "My name is Pocahontas. This is my brother, Kocoum and my husband, Tarzan."

"Are there others on the island?" Kida asked.

"It's just us," Kocoum replied.

Kida looked Kocoum up and down. "My fiancée needs another gunner. I want you to join our crew." Kocoum just stared at her. Kida moved on to Tarzan. "You- I bet you know this land well."

Tarzan nodded. "I know many lands."

Kida smiled. "Perfect. I'm taking you on as our striker. We could use someone who knows unfamiliar territory."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Tarzan said.

"I am the captain of a ship and I'm taking the two of you on board to join my crew," Kida stated.

Tarzan frowned. "But, this is our home; you can't-"

"I accept," Kocoum said.

Tarzan and Pocahontas gave him shocked looks.

"Kocoum, what are you doing?" Pocahontas asked.

"I'm sick of being stuck on this island," Kocoum said.

Kida gave him an approving nod and motioned for him to join the rest of the group.

"I won't leave my wife," Tarzan said, putting his arm around Pocahontas.

"Very well. We'll bring her with, too. My first mate, here, needs some female companionship," Kida said.

John started to protest, but Pocahontas beat him to it. "No! I am loyal to my husband."

"We must decline your... offer," Tarzan said.

Kida rolled her eyes in frustration. She grabbed Tarzan and held her sword against his throat.

"_No one _tells me no," Kida stated.

"Let him go!" Pocahontas cried, rushing at Kida.

John and Flynn sheathed their swords and restrained Pocahontas.

"Please!" Pocahontas pleaded. "Let us go! We'll join you!"

"I'm sorry, but that was a one-time offer," Kida said. Without hesitation, Kida cut open Tarzan's throat with her sword and then dropped his body on the ground.

Pocahontas screamed and struggled to get away from John and Flynn. Kocoum grew pale, but he didn't dare go against Kida. Meg stared in horror at Tarzan as he lied there, gasping. As she watched his blood spread over the dirt, her sword suddenly felt heavier.

"We're returning to the ship now," Kida announced, turning on her heel. "Bring the woman."

At first, Meg couldn't move. She just watched the group walk away, pulling Pocahontas along with them. Meg glanced down at Tarzan one last time and noticed he was wearing some sort of necklace. She crouched down beside him and took the necklace off him. It was just a simple black strap with a tooth hanging from it. It seemed insignificant to Meg, but since he was wearing it, it was probably important to him and thus probably meant something to Pocahontas. Meg stuffed it in her pocket and decided she would give it to Pocahontas when she got a chance.

Meg couldn't stand the thought of him lying there, decaying, so she pulled out all of her matches and struck them against her boot.

"I'm sorry, Tarzan." She dropped the lit matches on his clothes, then turned and ran back to the ship.

X X X

After dinner that night, Meg headed up to John's room. She lightly knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"John?" she whispered.

When there was no response, Meg slowly opened the door and slipped inside. There was a lit lantern hanging in the corner of the room, casting a soft light over Pocahontas. She had one arm wrapped around her knees while her other hand was pressed against her forehead. She wasn't making any noise, but Meg could tell by the way her shoulders were shaking that she was crying. She closed the door behind her and Pocahontas looked up. She had a terrified look on her face and tried cowering further into the corner.

"It's okay," Meg said, soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Meg reached into her pocket, then sat down in front of Pocahontas. Pocahontas just stared at her, but a couple tears were still trickling down her cheeks. Meg held the necklace out to her. Pocahontas hesitantly reached out and took the necklace.

"I don't know if it means anything to you, but I thought you'd want to have _something _of Tarzan's," Meg said.

Pocahontas ran her finger over the tooth. "It's the tooth of Sabor. Sabor is a leopard; he attacked me one day and Tarzan rescued me. It was the first time we met. Tarzan managed to get one of Sabor's teeth, but he got away. As far as I know, Sabor is still alive. I guess Tarzan's body will be his dinner after all."

"I burned Tarzan's body," Meg said. "I thought he deserved that much, at least."

Pocahontas gave her a sad smile. "What is your name?"

"Meg."

"Thank you, Meg. I wasn't expecting to receive any sort of kindness from a pirate," Pocahontas said.

Meg laughed. "The captain is the only pirate on this ship."


	6. Chapter 6

Jim shifted the tray of food to one hand and knocked on John's door. It didn't take long for John to answer and he stepped back to let Jim in.

"Tiana sent this up for Pocahontas," Jim muttered.

John pointed over at the corner. Pocahontas was asleep, so Jim just set the food on the floor next to her. He started to walk out of the office, but stopped and turned back to John. John was leaning against his desk, looking over some papers. He didn't seem to notice Jim was still in the office.

"Thank you for saving me during the storm the other night," Jim said.

John looked up. "You're welcome." He circled back behind his desk and sat down on the chair.

Pocahontas whimpered in her sleep and Jim looked over at her. He then glanced back at John, who was also looking at Pocahontas.

"Why did the Captain bring her aboard anyway?" Jim asked.

"For me." John continued to rustle through his papers.

"For _you_? I thought you were..."

"I am." John didn't look up. "The Captain thinks the young woman will 'convert' me. But I have no intention of taking advantage of her."

Jim nodded. Kida came into the office then. She went straight to John's desk and put some papers on his desk.

"I need you to go over these right away," Kida demanded.

She didn't bother to wait for a response. She turned on her heel and started out the door. Jim stepped out of her way and watched her walk away.

"You should get going, kid. I have work to do," John said.

A sudden metallic clang made them both jump. Pocahontas was awake now and staring disgustedly at the overturned tray of food on the floor. Jim walked over to her and started cleaning it up.

"I don't want anything from you people," Pocahontas hissed.

"You need to eat something," Jim said.

Pocahontas threw a piece of food at Jim. "I'd rather starve than be a prisoner on this ship."

"You're not a prisoner," John muttered.

"Then why can't I leave the ship?" Pocahontas demanded.

John continued working. "Because we're floating in the middle of the ocean." He made no effort to hide his annoyance.

"I can swim."

John slammed his hands on the desk in frustration. "With the exception of the Captain, no one on this ship has mistreated you in anyway. The only one making this difficult is you. I understand you're upset, but there's no reason for you to take it out on the kid or anyone else who's trying to be nice to you. Tomorrow night when Tiana sends up food for you, I expect you to eat and be grateful. Is that clear?"

Pocahontas nodded, but her stern expression didn't fade.

"Good. Now apologize to the kid," John said.

Pocahontas glared at John, but then turned to Jim. "I'm sorry."

Jim nodded as he stood up. He then made his way back down to the kitchen. Tiana frowned when Jim dumped the food in the trash.

"What happened?" Tiana asked.

"She refused the food by throwing it on the floor," Jim replied as he started washing the dishes.

"What an ungrateful- ugh!" Tiana groaned in frustration.

"She's been through a lot," Jim said.

"I know that," Tiana responded. "But, it's not like we're trying to poison her with the food or something." She shook her head, then waved her hand dismissively and walked away.

Jim finished washing Pocahontas' dishes, then put them away.

"There you are, cabin boy. I was hoping to find you down here."

Jim didn't have to turn around to know who had come into the kitchen, but he did anyway. Kida stood just a couple feet away from him with a look of determination on her face.

"Well, you found me, ma'am."

"I need to see you in my cabin immediately."

Jim wiped his hands on his makeshift apron, then took it off and followed Kida up to her office. She locked the door behind them and motioned for Jim to get undressed. Jim wanted to tell her no, but then he thought about what Kida did to Esmeralda and slowly started taking off his clothes. The familiar humiliation swelled up inside Jim as Kida ran her hand over him.

"You're very obedient, cabin boy," Kida mumbled.

"I have no choice."

"No you don't!" Kida snapped. "And the sooner the rest of the crew starts thinking that way, the sooner this ship will start running smoothly."

"They'd be more likely to respect you if you were nicer to them," Jim said.

Kida glared at him. "I _will not _go soft."

To put emphasis on her statement, Kida shoved Jim against the wall. She pressed her mouth against his. Jim followed her lead, but flinched when she bit his lip. He could taste the blood in his mouth, but she didn't stop. She spun them around so now she was leaning against the wall. She quickly removed her pants without breaking the kiss, then jumped on Jim, wrapping her legs around his waist. Jim sat down on a nearby chair so she was now straddling him.

"You're mine, cabin boy," Kida whispered.

X X X

Jim ran his tongue over his lower and he could feel it had gotten a little swollen. He rolled over in his hammock and stared out into the darkness. Somewhere nearby he could hear someone snoring and he assumed it was one of the musicians, Naveen.

Jim couldn't help wondering what Gaston would do to him if he found out what was going on with him and the princess. Would Gaston torture Jim the way Kida had tortured Esmeralda? Would he have him thrown overboard? Or would he simply just kill him? Despite his fears, though, part of Jim hoped Gaston would catch them.

Jim closed his eyes and instantly a face came to his mind. Jim sighed and opened his eyes again. He was starting to develop feelings for another member of the crew and he knew if word got out about him and Kida, it could create a rift between them and Jim would never get to be with them.

Jim was in a lose-lose situation.


	7. Chapter 7

The next night Meg was awoken by screaming. She quickly sat up and grabbed her sword. Hercules slowly sat up from where they had been sleeping on the floor and looked around. At first they didn't see anything. Meg stood up and slowly walked around the sleeping quarters. The rest of the crew had also heard the scream and were now climbing off their hammocks. One of the other sailors, Merida, lit a lantern and that's when they saw Gaston on top of the sailmaker, Aurora. Kida was standing over them and pulled Gaston off of her. Aurora tried to get away, but Kida grabbed her.

"Kida, stop it!" Gaston growled.

Kida slapped him then started dragging Aurora towards the deck stairs. Meg stormed over to them.

"Captain, you can't do this," Meg hissed.

Kida turned sharply towards Meg and a look of anger crossed her face when she saw the sword Meg was holding. Hercules came up behind Meg then, took the sword and pulled her away.

"Are you insane?" Hercules demanded.

"This isn't right." She pushed Hercules off her and made her way up to the deck.

Like last time, a crowd had gathered to watch and Meg stared in horror as Kida whipped Aurora in front of everyone. Aurora had her face buried in her arm and was sobbing. Meg knew Kida's warning wouldn't put an end to Gaston's infidelity. Of course, none of the women on the ship were going to Gaston willingly anymore, but that wasn't stopping Gaston from having his way with them anyway. Meg did everything she could to avoid Gaston and whenever possible she had Hercules with her. Even though both Gaston and Hercules were equally muscular, Hercules was still stronger and Gaston would never challenge him. Meg knew Gaston would leave her alone as long as she was with Hercules.

When Kida was finally done with Aurora, she wrapped up the whip and walked up to her office. The rest of the crew slowly turned and made their way back down to the sleeping quarters. Meg watched everyone in disbelief as they lowered their eyes and ignored Aurora. Meg pulled her knife out of her boot and stormed across the deck to where Aurora was still tied up. She immediately cut the ropes and caught Aurora as she collapsed. She helped Aurora down to the medical station. Anastasia and Jane were both asleep, so Meg took it upon herself to clean up Aurora's lashings. Aurora got up on the table and Meg got some alcohol and a rag.

"This will probably sting," Meg told her.

Aurora wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. Meg gently started dabbing the cuts and Aurora inhaled sharply through her teeth.

"I'm sorry," Meg said.

"Don't be." Aurora flinched. "Thank you for cutting me down."

"You're welcome."

Once Meg had cleaned up all the blood, she put some bandages on the cuts. She then grabbed a blanket and carefully draped it over Aurora's shoulders.

"It was rape, wasn't it?" Meg asked her.

Aurora nodded as she pulled the blanket tighter around her.

"I knew this would happen," Meg said as she put everything away. "Kida can't stop Gaston from sleeping with other women. He'll find a way, no matter what."

"I'm jumping ship at the next port," Aurora said, quietly.

"No! You can't let them win."

"Look around you, Meg! They've _already _won!" Aurora snapped. "They're running this ship on fear and I can't take it anymore."

"We can still beat them," I told her.

"Beat them?" Aurora cried. "I was just raped and then tortured and humiliated in front of the crew because of it. They've beaten _me_ and I'm done."

Aurora hopped off the table, dropped the blanket on it, and then walked away. Meg sighed and leaned against the table.

"Meg?"

Meg looked up and when she saw Hercules she threw herself into his arms.

"It's gonna be all right," Hercules whispered.

"You need to be captain, Hercules." Meg was on the verge of tears, but she fought them back. She was more angry than scared, but either way she wasn't going to let herself start crying.

"Meg, we've already talked about this. No one will go for that."

"Aurora would."

"What good would that really do us?" Hercules asked. "After tonight, she's not exactly gonna be the most influential person on the ship."

"Well, we have to do _something_."

"You're starting to worry me," Hercules said quietly.

"I'm fine. I just can't sit back anymore and watch Kida and Gaston run us all six feet into the ground."

X X X

While Kida was busy with Aurora, John had some things he had to do. When Jim brought food to Pocahontas, John asked him to keep an eye on her while he was gone. Now Pocahontas was asleep and Jim was sitting on the floor at the foot of John's bed, watching over her. Jim felt bad for her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have someone you love murdered in front of you and then be ripped away from your home. And even though John claimed she wasn't prisoner, Jim couldn't think of any other word to describe her. As far as Jim knew she was always either in John's office or in his room and mostly she just stayed in the corner.

As Jim watched Pocahontas sleep he began to feel tired, but he fought to stay awake. In the end, though, he lied down on the floor and fell asleep.

Jim woke up later to something being dropped on him. It took him a few moments to get his bearings and realize he was still in John's room. He shifted position and realized what had been dropped on him was a blanket. He looked around and noticed John standing a couple feet away from him, looking out the small window. When Jim sat up, John looked over at him but didn't say anything.

"Thanks for the blanket," Jim said, starting to stand up.

"No problem. Sorry it took me so long and you had to sleep on the floor," John said, turning back to the window.

"It was actually more comfortable than my hammock." Jim picked up the blanket and started folding it.

Jim then started gathering Pocahontas' dishes and setting them on the tray.

"Don't worry about the dishes," John said, walking over to his wardrobe. "You can get them in the morning. You should get some sleep."

Jim nodded. "G'night, sir."

"Good night, Jim."


	8. Chapter 8

Jim woke up earlier the next morning than usual. Most of the crew was still asleep and the sun hadn't come up yet. Still, Jim got up and got dressed. He quietly made his way up to John's room to get the dishes he had left up there the night before. When he reached John's room, though, he saw Pocahontas trying to sneak out the door. She stopped short in the doorway when she saw Jim. Jim stepped back so she could come out into the narrow corridor. She closed the door a little bit, but not all the way.

"Makin' a jail break?" Jim asked.

Pocahontas raised an eyebrow. "No. I just wanted to walk around a bit. I was planning on being back before he wakes up."

"He's still sleeping?"

Pocahontas nodded.

Since Jim had been on the ship, John was always the first one up and was already working before the rest of the crew even got up. Jim was a little surprised that John was still sleeping.

"Please don't tell him," Pocahontas pleaded.

Jim glanced at John's door, then gave Pocahontas a thoughtful look. "Ya know, I'm the only one working under Tiana. It probably wouldn't hurt for you to ask her if she needs any extra help."

Pocahontas smiled at him. "I will. Where is she?

"Down in the kitchen. Try not to attract any attention to yourself on your way there," Jim said. "Kida probably won't be too happy to see you wandering around alone."

Pocahontas nodded. "Thank you."

Jim waited until Pocahontas was gone before going into John's room. He walked over to where he left the dishes and bent down to pick them up. When Jim stood back up, John moving around in his bed caught his eye. His blanket was knotted up around his legs, leaving his bare torso exposed. John was frowning in his sleep and tossing and turning a little bit.

Jim realized John was probably having a nightmare and thought about waking him up. He shook his head, deciding against it, and made his way out of the room. When he walked down to the deck, he saw Pocahontas leaning on the edge of the boat, looking up at the sky. Jim rolled his eyes and went over to her.

"You shouldn't be here," Jim said.

Pocahontas jumped, but relaxed when she saw it was Jim. "I just wanted to watch the sunrise."

Jim set the tray of dishes down by his feet and watched the sunrise with Pocahontas. Jim had never seen a sunrise before and he had to admit it was beautiful and somewhat romantic; the entire sky in front of them was a perfect gold color and almost looked glittery. The ocean reflected the sky and it felt like at that moment the whole world was painted gold. It reminded Jim of two men he met a couple years ago who claimed to have found El Dorado, the legendary city of gold.

"It's breathtaking," Pocahontas whispered.

Jim nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything. After watching the sunrise for a few moments, they finally went down to the kitchen. Tiana was busily preparing breakfast and didn't notice them come in. Jim set the tray down next to Tiana's pile of dirty dishes for him to wash later.

"Oh, Jim, I'm glad you're here-" Tiana stopped when she saw Pocahontas. "Who's this?"

"_This_ is Pocahontas. The Captain brought her aboard for John and she was just wondering if you had any extra work for her," Jim explained.

Tiana eyed Pocahontas. "Oh that's right. Does Kida know she's down here?"

"No," Jim replied.

Tiana took a deep breath and let it out. "It just so happens that I do need some more help. However, she's going to be _your _responsibility, Jim. I'm not putting my neck on the line for her."

X X X

Jim spent the rest of the day cleaning the ship with Pocahontas. The rest of the crew was eating dinner now and Jim and Pocahontas were mopping the deck. She didn't say much while they were cleaning, so Jim still didn't really know anything about her. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She moved gracefully as she worked across the deck. When she bent over the mop, her long black hair fell over her face.

Tiana came up a few minutes later. She looked around, then smiled.

"Good job, guys," Tiana said. "You can call it a night."

Jim and Pocahontas dumped their buckets over water over the edge.

"I'll take your mop down," Pocahontas offered Jim.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm not in a big hurry to go back up to Mr. Smith's office."

Jim handed her his mop and watched her and Tiana walk back down to the kitchen. He then sighed and leaned over the edge of the ship. He watched the waves splash the bottom of the ship. They would be reaching the next port at a nearby kingdom soon, according to Eric. Kida's plan was to stay in the kingdom over night and Jim had an uneasy feeling about this. He didn't know Kida very well, but he could tell she was planning something and it most likely wasn't good.

"Hawkins?"

Jim looked up to see John come up beside him. His face, as usual, was expressionless.

"Yes, sir?"

"Pocahontas told me she's going to be working with you."

"Yes, sir."

John nodded once. "I'm sure that will be good for her. But, in the future, you shouldn't go behind my back like that."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I haven't been in my office or room most of the day and didn't even notice she was gone 'till just now when she came back," John said. "But the Captain doesn't take kindly to anyone showing disrespect to the officers."

Jim nodded. "It won't happen again."

"I know." John leaned on the edge of the ship and stared out at the horizon. "Tiana told me she's made Pocahontas your responsibility. Personally, I don't think anyone should have to keep an eye on her, but Kida seems to think she needs constant supervision. So, I'm going to need you to watch her again tonight while the Captain and I work."

"Yes, sir." Jim walked passed John and made his way up to John's room.

Pocahontas was just stepping into the wash tub when Jim walked in. She jumped and grabbed a towel to cover herself.

Jim quickly turned around. "I'm so sorry."

"It's all right."

Jim started to walk back out into the corridor, but was cut off by Kida. Jim resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Kida always managed to show up at the worst times.

"Where's Mr. Smith?" Kida demanded.

"He said he was working with you tonight and I needed to keep an eye on Pocahontas," Jim replied.

"Then where were you going?" Kida asked.

"She's bathing, so I was going to give her some privacy until she was done."

Kida rolled her eyes like that was the dumbest thing she had ever heard. "She could very easily slip out that window while you're not looking."

Jim glanced back at the window. It wasn't very big, but Pocahontas probably could have fit through it. Jim didn't think it was likely that she would try, though.

"You are not to leave this room unattended at any time, cabin boy. Is that clear?" Kida commanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Kida walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Jim sat down on John's bed, but positioned himself so his back was to Pocahontas.

_What is Kida's angle? _Jim thought. _Why is it so important that Pocahontas doesn't get away?_

Jim knew Kida brought Pocahontas on board for John, but why? Was trying to make him straight so important to her that she had to keep a prisoner in his room?

Jim listened to the movement of the water as Pocahontas bathed herself and he couldn't help wondering if Kida's plan would work. Pocahontas was undoubtedly a beautiful and exotic woman; would John eventually give in to her? It was obvious Pocahontas didn't want him, but would John take her anyway, the way Gaston took the sailmaker? The thought of that made Jim feel sick.


	9. Chapter 9

"Land ho!"

Jim jolted awake and sat up. He was still in John's room, on his bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and noticed Pocahontas was still asleep in the corner. He dragged himself out of bed and walked over to her. She looked more peaceful when she was asleep and he felt bad about having to wake her up. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. She rolled over and looked up at him.

"We gotta get to work," Jim told her.

She nodded and pulled herself up. The two of them made their way down to the kitchen, careful to avoid running into Kida. Tiana was sitting at one of the tables, writing a list of some sort.

"Good morning, Tiana," Pocahontas greeted.

Tiana looked up. "Morning."

Pocahontas had been trying to get on Tiana's good side since yesterday morning, but Tiana had been too distracted to notice.

"We're docking this morning," Tiana said, looking back at her list. "I highly recommend you get off this ship for a while. I won't need either of you today."

"Yes, ma'am," Pocahontas said.

Tiana hated being called ma'am and gave Pocahontas an annoyed look. Pocahontas was already on her way out of the kitchen, though, and didn't notice. Jim quickly went after her. When they got back to John's room, Pocahontas immediately went over to the window. The town they were approaching didn't look like much, but Jim was still somewhat glad to see it. He had to admit he was looking forward to getting off the ship and away from Kida for a while.

"It looks nothing like the home I left," Pocahontas said.

Jim didn't know what to say to that, so he didn't respond. They watched as the ship pulled up to a dock and a few of the sailors jumped off to tie it up.

Pocahontas' face lit. "Come on!"

Jim and Pocahontas turned around only to be met by Kida.

"Going somewhere?" Kida asked.

Judging by Kida's tone, Jim could tell the answer to that was clearly no. She grabbed Pocahontas' hair and started dragging her out of the room.

"Let me go!" Pocahontas demanded.

Jim followed them down to John's office. Kida threw Pocahontas into the office and she stumbled to the floor. Kida unclipped a rope from her belt and began to tie Pocahontas' hands to a post near the window.

"Captain, what are you doing?" Jim asked.

"I can't have her trying to get away." Kida stood up once she was sure Pocahontas couldn't get free. "And you, cabin boy, will stay here to keep an eye on her. We will be leaving just before dawn tomorrow morning and I expect you to stay here until then."

Jim started to protest, but Kida just turned on her heel and walked out of the office.

X X X

Meg was one of the first people off the ship. She grabbed Hercules' hand and they quickly made their way to the marketplace. They were lost in the crowd instantly and Meg was grateful for the freedom. Even if it was only going to last a day.

"What do you want to do?" Hercules asked.

Meg was about to respond when she saw the giant palace looming in the distance. Actually, the palace itself was beautiful, but the second she saw it she knew why the Captain had docked here and why they were staying so long.

"This isn't good," Meg said, not looking away from the palace. She then remembered Aurora saying she was going to jump ship here. "Damn it. We have to find Aurora."

"Why?"

Meg started scanning the crowd. "She's planning on staying here."

Hercules cursed under his breath and they began searching for Aurora. The only time Kida ever docked at a kingdom like this is when she was planning on kidnapping the prince or princess for ransom. Whenever this happened, if a member of the crew stayed behind the king would have them sent to the dungeon to be tortured until they gave him the information he wanted. They always cracked; whether it was because they couldn't stand the torture or because they wanted Kida to get caught, Meg didn't know. But one thing was for sure; when the king sent ships after them, everyone on the ships were always killed. And rather than just give Kida the money, the kings always sent more ships after her. In the end, though, Kida always got her money. But, not without killing dozens of men first.

X X X

Jim watched Pocahontas struggle to get out of the rope, completely unsure of what to do. He noticed a sword in a sheath hanging from John's desk chair. One quick swipe of the sword would cut the ropes and free Pocahontas.

"Please help me," Pocahontas pleaded. "I can't stay on this ship anymore."

"What do you think the Captain would do to me if she found out I let you escape?" Jim demanded.

Jim wanted nothing more than to let Pocahontas go, but part of him was afraid of what Kida would do. That part of him was the only thing keeping him from grabbing the sword.

Pocahontas looked up at Jim, defeated, and stopped struggling. "You're right. I can't ask you to take that kind of risk." She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

At first all Jim could do was stare at her. Just like that Pocahontas was willing to remain a prisoner instead of letting Jim make that sacrifice for her. It was at that moment that Jim knew he had to free her. If she could be so selfless for someone she didn't know, then he could, too. Without thinking, Jim unsheathed the sword walked over to Pocahontas. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting you out of here."

"Jim, you don't have to-"

Before Pocahontas could finish her sentence, Jim had cut the rope and it fell to the floor. Then, out of nowhere, a hand grabbed his wrist. Jim was spun around so he was now face to face with John.

Jim glanced back at Pocahontas. "Run!"

Pocahontas didn't hesitate. John had the doorway blocked, so she stood up and hurried towards the window. She pushed it open, then squeezed through it and jumped out. When Jim heard her hit the water, he turned back to John.

"You're defying the Captain's direct order," John stated.

"I don't care. I couldn't let her stay prisoner on this ship." Jim struggled to get away, but John just tightened his grip on Jim's wrist. "I don't care what Kida does to me, as long as Pocahontas is free. No one should be forced to live a life they didn't choose. She lost her husband and her brother, but maybe now she'll have the opportunity to make a new start."

John's face remained expressionless as he pinned Jim against the wall. He slammed Jim's hand against the wall until he was forced to drop the sword. Jim tried to get away, but John was much stronger than he was.

Jim stared directly into John's eyes and glared at him. "I'm not sorry; I would do it again. No one should be trapped."

John's eyes suddenly became intense and he loosened his grip on Jim's wrist slightly. Then, before Jim could react, John's mouth was on his. Jim's eyes grew wide with shock and his heart started racing. Jim then closed his eyes and welcomed John's kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

_John Smith._

That was all Jim could think about. John had quickly pulled away after kissing him and left without a word. He was now alone in John's office. He could still feel John's lips on his and it made his heart beat a little faster. Jim had been instantly attracted to John the moment he first met him. But it wasn't until the night of the storm that when John rescued him and placed his body protectively against his that Jim began to develop feelings for him. He never thought John felt the same way, though.

Jim slowly walked out of the office and made his way off the ship. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but he couldn't stay on the ship and drive himself crazy thinking about John.

The marketplace was more crowded than Jim had been expecting, but he was glad for the distraction. That is until he felt someone grab him and pull him down a deserted alley, away from everyone else. It wasn't until they stopped that Jim realized it was John. Jim would have been lying if he said this didn't make him somewhat happy.

"We need to talk," John told him.

Jim nodded.

"The Captain cannot find out what happened, so you can't tell anyone," John said.

"Of course not." Jim was very aware of the fact that John was still clutching his arm. "But, _why _did it happen?"

"I'm attracted to you." John frowned and let go of Jim's arm. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line."

"You didn't," Jim told him.

"I didn't?"

Jim shook his head. "I wanted it. I had wanted it for a while."

John leaned against Jim and lowered his head so his mouth was only an inch from Jim's. Jim closed eyes and his heart pounded in anticipation. John put his hand on Jim's arm and pulled him into a kiss. Jim instantly felt weak and he gripped John's shirt to steady himself. This kiss was much more passionate than their first. They both gave into what they wanted and there was no hesitation between them.

"Have you guys seen- Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

Jim and John quickly pulled apart to see Meg coming up to them. John stepped away from Jim and straightened up.

"I'm so sorry," Meg said again. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine," John said.

Meg slowly nodded. "Anyways. Aurora has jumped ship and we can't find her."

"Aurora knows better than to jump ship here," John said.

"I don't know, John. I think being raped and tortured were the final straws," Meg said.

"The same thing will happen to her if she stays here. I'll help look for her."

John walked away and Jim started to leave as well, but Meg grabbed him and pulled him back. She gave him a sly smile, but he just stared at her.

"So, you and John, huh?" Meg pulled out a cigarette, the struck a match against the wall and lit her cigarette before shaking the match and dropping it on the ground.

"I don't know."

Meg let out a short laugh as she turned her head and blew smoke out of her mouth. "Yeah right."

"I don't know what's going on with us."

"That kiss looked pretty serious."

"No one was supposed to see that."

Meg nodded as she took a drag of her cigarette. She then put her hand on her hip as she blew out the smoke. "Don't worry about me. John and I have been friends for a while; I already knew he liked you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jim instantly felt stupid after asking the question since it made him sound like an immature teenager.

"It wasn't my place. I knew John would tell you eventually."

"He didn't really _tell _me," Jim said. "He just pinned me against the wall and kissed me."

Meg smiled. "That's awesome. Way better than me just telling you, don't you think?"

Jim couldn't help smiling back. "Yes."

X X X

"Good night, Dearest."

"Good night, Father."

Princess Jasmine pulled her blanket up over her shoulders as she watched her father walk out of her room and close the door. She had had a long day and it felt good to finally be in bed. Her pet tiger, Raja, was asleep next to her bed and it only took a few minutes for her to fall asleep as well.

Jasmine was jolted awake a couple hours later, however, when she heard Raja roar. He then whimpered and it was silent again. Jasmine slowly closed her eyes again and reached down to pet Raja.

"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked him quietly.

All of a sudden, Jasmine was pulled out of her bed by a pair of hands. Before she had time to react and scream, a handkerchief was shoved into her mouth and tied around head. She tried to get away, but wasn't strong enough. She looked over at Raja and noticed he had two tranquilizer darts in his side. Panic welled up inside Jasmine and she let out a muffled scream.

"Shut up." A young woman with long white hair and a blue face tattoo stepped in front of her.

Jasmine's eyes widened in horror. It was now apparent that Jasmine was in more danger than she had thought. She had heard rumors about Princess Kida, the pirate captain, and she knew a war against the soldiers of her kingdom had just been declared.

Kida eyed Jasmine as she was pulled towards her balcony. She then frowned and held up her hand.

"Wait!" Kida hissed. She went over to Jasmine's wardrobe and started rifling through her clothes. She pulled out a pair of light blue pants, a matching off-the-shoulder midriff top and gold shoes. "Put these on."

It was then that Jasmine remembered she was wearing a sheer nightgown. She quickly grabbed the clothes and changed into them. When she was done, she was immediately thrown over someone's shoulder and he made his way down a rope that was now hanging from her balcony. They stuck to the shadows as they snuck through the village and didn't run into anybody else. When Jasmine saw the big ship in the harbor, she started struggling again. The man didn't let go of her arm and continued to drag her behind him. When they boarded the ship, Jasmine noticed the crew was ready to set sail.

She was brought below deck to the brig. Kida opened a cell door and Jasmine was shoved inside. The door closed behind her with a metallic thud. Kida reached through the bars and pulled the handkerchief off her.

"Let me go!" Jasmine demanded, grabbing the bars.

"Not a chance, Princess." Kida gripped Jasmine's wrist and pulled her hand through the bars causing Jasmine to be smashed against the cell door. "You're worth a lot of money."

Jasmine tried not to flinch at the pain of the bars digging into her body. She glared at Kida, but didn't say anything. Kida let go of her hand and Jasmine hurried away from the door.

Kida turned to face a young man standing behind her. "Aladdin, you're in charge of watching the prisoner. Do _not _leave her unattended under any circumstance, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well." Kida turned on her heel and walked away.

Jasmine cowered in the back of the cell as Aladdin sat down across from it.

"Please don't hurt me," Jasmine pleaded.

Aladdin looked up at her, surprised. "I'm not going to hurt you."


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a week since they left Agrabah and Kida still hadn't noticed Pocahontas was missing. She was far too distracted with her new prisoner. Of course, the princess's father had immediately sent a ship after them to retrieve his daughter. The ship caught up to The Damned this morning and the fighting raged on all day. It was now just after sunset and the battle was finally over. Kida and her crew had been victorious and every man on the other ship was dead.

Now Hercules, Kocoum, Adam and Shang were throwing the dead bodies overboard and Jim was mopping up the blood. Jim didn't partake in the killing; he had been down in the kitchen with Tiana, so when Kida summoned him he had been shocked at what he saw. Dead bodies, some dismembered, were everywhere. Some were stacked on top of each other, some hanging over the edge, some cut up in pieces and scattered over the deck. When Jim had first stepped onto the deck he had tripped over someone's severed arm and nearly threw up on himself. Jim had had an idea of how twisted Kida was, but to see such gruesome evidence made everything too real.

A loud splash momentarily distracted Jim from his mopping and he looked up. Adam and Kocoum had just thrown the last body into the ocean. The four men then made their way below deck for dinner. How they could eat after all this, Jim had no idea. He lowered his head and focused on cleaning.

"It's pretty awful, isn't it?" Meg asked coming over to him.

Jim just stared at Meg. Her blood-splattered clothes made it obvious that she had been involved in the killing. Jim regained his composure and slowly nodded. Meg went to sit on the edge of the ship like she usually did, but when she saw it was covered with blood she stayed standing.

"The killing never gets any easier," she finally said. "But in situations like this it's fight or die. Or worse."

"Or worse?"

Meg took out a cigarette, but just held it in her hand and didn't light it. "Yeah. Kida personally tortures those who don't fight." Jim must have looked uneasy since she added, "Don't worry, you and Tiana are exempt. The Captain likes having a meal waiting for her promptly when the battle is over."

"Kida is sick. Why do you put up with her?"

Now Meg did light her cigarette. "I have my reasons." She shook out the match and tossed it overboard. "Why do you? You could have jumped ship in Agrabah like Aurora did."

Jim started mopping again. "I thought about it."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I have my reason."

Meg raised an eyebrow. "Does that reason happen to be tall, blonde and muscular?"

Jim glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. "Yes."

Meg blew out a puff of smoke. "How are things going with you two, anyway?"

"They're not really _going _anywhere. Since she kidnapped the princess, Kida has needed every minute of John's time."

"You had to know a relationship between the two of you would be hard."

"I knew." Jim didn't want to add that now that he had tasted John, he wanted to do it again and not being near John was driving him crazy.

Meg flicked her cigarette. "It's not gonna get any easier, kid. As long as-"

"There you are, babe."

Jim turned to see Gaston approaching them. Meg didn't turn around, she just rolled her eyes. Gaston grabbed her arm and turned her so she was facing him. Though there was no blood or evidence on him, Jim had a feeling Gaston killed many men that day.

"I want you to come with me, my little Nutmeg."

"No," Meg said sharply. "I mean, I can't. I'm helping the cabin boy clean up the deck."

Gaston let go of Meg. She picked up one of the rags and started wiping down the edge of the ship.

"Gaston!"

They all stopped and turned to see Kida walking down the stairs.

"What is it?" Gaston demanded.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you." Kida didn't wait for Gaston to reply before continuing. "No doubt that foolish sultan will send more ships after us and I need you in my office to go over our strategy."

"Yes, ma'am." There was no mistaking the mocking in Gaston's voice, but he left anyway.

"Cabin boy, Mr. Smith is ready for his dinner. Bring it up to his room at once," Kida said. "Megara, I need you to finish cleaning this deck while the cabin boy is gone."

Meg rolled her eyes in frustration and threw her half-smoked cigarette into the water. Jim had to admit he was a little anxious to be seeing John. He hurried down to the kitchen where Tiana was already preparing John's dinner. When she was done, he grabbed the tray and made his way up to John's room. The door was open and Jim couldn't help but stop and stare at John. He was shirtless and bent over the tub, cleaning his torso with a wash rag. Jim took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door frame. John looked over at him.

"Come in, Jim," he said. "Close the door behind you."

Jim did as he was told, then set the food down on the small table and looked back over at John. He noticed then that the water in the tub was stained red and John had a few gashes on his body. Jim couldn't picture John fighting and killing other men, but then he thought about what Meg had said: fight or die.

John finished cleaning himself, then pushed open the window and dumped the tub of bloody water out of it. His hair fell over his face, his biceps flexed and Jim had to look away before his thoughts ran away from him.

"I'll leave you to eat," Jim told him.

"Are you in that much of a hurry to get away from me?" John asked, running his hand through his hair.

Jim's breath caught. "No."

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to."

"I don't want to."

John nodded. He then picked up a clean wash rag and some disinfectant. He poured a little of the disinfectant onto the rag and started wiping it over his wounds. Jim walked over to him and took the rag.

"Let me." Jim gently dabbed his cuts and John winced. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Jim worked the rag across John's chest as he continued to clean his cuts. He then poured a little more of the disinfectant on the rag and dabbed a small cut on his cheek. The cut didn't really need to be taken care of, but Jim wanted to touch John's face. John leaned his head against Jim's hand and closed his eyes. Jim dropped the rag, then leaned forward and kissed John's neck. Jim turned John's face towards his and kissed him. John briefly kissed him back, but then winced in pain and pulled away. Jim noticed for the first time that John's lower lip was somewhat swollen and had a cut on it. Clearly someone had gotten the upper hand on him at some point. Jim kissed his neck one more time before stepping back.

"I've wanted to do that for the last week," Jim said.

"Me too."

John pulled Jim back into another kiss. This time he ignored the pain as he held Jim close to him.


	12. Chapter 12

Jasmine watched as a younger boy gave Aladdin two plates of food. Aladdin then returned to Jasmine's cell. He unlocked her cell door, set one plate down in front of her, then locked it again. Jasmine stared at the food, but made no attempt to eat it. She had just spent the whole day listening to these pirates kill the people of her kingdom who had come to rescue her. She had cowered in the corner of her cell, with her hands over her ears the whole time, but it did little good; she could still hear the screams of her men as they were murdered. There was no way she could eat after that.

"It's not going to get any better," Aladdin said.

Jasmine looked up at him. "What?"

"The killing isn't going to stop. The Captain will kill everyone your father sends after us. The only way this will all end is if your father gives Kida what she wants."

"What does she want?"

Aladdin shrugged as he took a bite of his food. "Money, probably."

Jasmine leaned back and wrapped her arms around herself. "I can't believe all those men died because of me."

"That's not true. Those men died because of Kida. You're here because of Kida. None of this is your fault; it's all Kida's."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at Aladdin. "You're not exactly innocent in all of this."

Aladdin glanced at her, but then went back to eating. "I didn't kidnap you and I didn't kill anyone."

"You won't let me go."

Aladdin set his fork down on his plate and looked up at Jasmine. "You're kidding, right? You heard what happened to the men who tried to rescue you. What do you think she would do to someone who betrayed her and went against her orders?"

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare at Aladdin, but didn't say anything.

"Besides, where would you go? In case you forgot; we're in the middle of the ocean."

Jasmine sighed in defeat. "You're right."

"She won't hurt you," Aladdin said after a few minutes. "She needs you alive in order to get her ransom. Once she gets it, she'll release you."

"I'm not concerned for myself. I have a responsibility to my people and-"

"You don't have any control in this situation," Aladdin interrupted. "You're not the first princess Kida has kidnapped for ransom and every time she does she leaves a ransom with clear instructions to give her what she wants and if they send anyone after her, she'll kill them. So, if you want to blame someone, blame your father for not following instructions."

"How dare you blame this on my father!" Jasmine cried.

"I understand him wanting to try and save you. But after Kida's warning and finding out all of his men are dead, if he sends another ship you'll know where his priorities are."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if he sends more men, knowing they're going to die, just so he doesn't have to pay the ransom, you'll know his money is more important to him than his people-"

"That's not true! My father loves his people."

"-Plus, the longer he drags this out, the longer we're gonna have you."

"I don't like what you're inferring."

"I told you, Princess, this is not the first time we've gone through this and it's always the same."

"Not this time. You'll see: this time will be different."

X X X

Jasmine woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of her cell door opening. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to adjust them to the dark. She saw the shadow of a man walk in and she assumed it was Aladdin. He crouched down next to her and ran his hand over her hair. When Jasmine's eyes adjusted, she realized it wasn't Aladdin; it was a man she had never seen before. He was very muscular and had long dark hair. From what she could tell, he was very good-looking.

"Who are you?" Jasmine asked, sitting up.

"I came to check on you."

"Where's Aladdin?"

"The Captain needed him."

The man was really close to Jasmine and she could smell alcohol on his breath. The overpowering scent made her feel a little sick and she wished he'd go away. Instead, though, he moved closer to her and planted his lips on hers. Jasmine turned her head away and tried to push him away from her.

"Don't do that," she demanded.

The man put his hands against the wall on either side of Jasmine, trying to trap her. He kissed her again, this time trying to slip his tongue in her mouth. Jasmine shuttered in disgust. He grabbed her waist and pulled her forward until she was lying on her back. She tried to get away, but he was incredibly strong and easily kept her pinned to the ground.

"Stop! Let me go!"

The man slid his hand up to Jasmine's neck and forced her head to the side, then lowered his mouth to her ear.

"You're a prisoner and I can do whatever I want to you," he whispered.

Jasmine shoved him off her and struggled to get away from him. The man grabbed her leg and dragged her back towards him. She kicked him in the chest, but it didn't seem to affect him in anyway except make him angrier. He back-handed her across the face, causing her to fall over. Despite the stinging in her face, Jasmine made herself crawl towards the open cell door. She grabbed the frame and tried to pull herself to her feet. Just then, the man slammed the cell door shut on her hand. Jasmine cried out in pain and collapsed to her knees. He opened the door and she quickly pulled her hand back. He pushed her down on the ground again. He ran his hand over her breasts, down her stomach and then slowly slid his hand inside her pants. Jasmine struggled underneath him, but she was too weak to fight him.

"No. Please stop," she begged.

"I always get who I want," the man told her.

He slid his hand out of her pants and was about to remove them when he was suddenly dragged off her. Jasmine quickly scrambled to the back of the cell to get away from him. She couldn't see who had grabbed the man, but the two of them were now fighting. The fight lasted a few minutes, but ended with the man who had attacked her pinned against the wall with a sword at his throat.

"Get out of here, Gaston." Jasmine recognized the voice as Aladdin's.

The man slipped away from Aladdin and left. Aladdin lit a lantern and stepped into Jasmine's cell.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I-I think so."

Aladdin knelt down beside her and held up the lantern, casting a light over her. Jasmine noticed then that during the struggle she had ripped a couple holes in her pants. The skin underneath was scratched and dirty, but thankfully none of the holes were in inappropriate places; just in both knees and one on her right thigh.

"I'm sorry, Princess."

Jasmine tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "For what?"

"I shouldn't have left. Gaston told me the Captain needed to see me. I should have known he was just trying to be alone with you."

All of a sudden, the pain in Jasmine's hand came back with full force. She inhaled sharply through her teeth and clutched her hand to her chest.

"What is it?" Aladdin asked.

"Gaston slammed my hand in the cell door."

Aladdin set the lantern down and reached out for Jasmine's hand, but she pulled away.

"No, don't touch it."

"I just want to see if it's broken."

Jasmine hesitated, but then slowly held her hand out to Aladdin. He carefully took it in his and gingerly felt it. Jasmine winced and resisted the urge to pull her hand away.

"It doesn't fell broken, but just in case, I'll have the surgeon take a look at it in the morning."

Aladdin gently stroked Jasmine's hand, trying to ease the pain. To Jasmine's surprise, it was working. Even more to her surprise, she found herself liking the way Aladdin touched her.


	13. Chapter 13

Jim lied wide awake in his hammock. He was supposed to meet John back in his room that night after everyone had gone to sleep, but two of the men- Dimitri and Thomas- were still up. Jim was becoming anxious and couldn't wait to see John again. Jim didn't know what John had in mind when he asked Jim to meet him in his room, but Jim's body was desperately aching for John's and he knew what he _wanted _to happen.

"Hey!" Meg whispered, crouching down next to Jim's hammock.

"Hey."

"Thanks for sticking me with cleaning duty tonight."

"Sorry. I got a little distracted while I was in John's room."

Meg rolled her eyes. "I knew you would."

"I couldn't help it."

"Damn that staggeringly handsome man," Meg muttered.

Jim let out a small laugh. "He _is _handsome."

Meg smiled at him, but then her smile slowly faded and she became serious. "Jim, this is more than just physical for you, right?"

"What?"

"I just want to make sure you really like John," Meg clarified. "The last man John was with claimed he liked John but after the initial lust started to fade he bailed on John for some woman. John's feelings for him hadn't been that serious, but he hasn't been with anyone since then, trying to avoid having that same thing happen again."

"I wouldn't do that to him."

Meg nodded. "Good. 'Cause I know he likes you."

The two of them were suddenly in darkness as Dimitri blew out his candle and he and Thomas finally went to bed.

"He's my friend," Meg said. She then lowered her voice. "Don't hurt him."

With that, Meg stood up and walked away. Jim waited until he heard Dimitri snoring, before sneaking out of bed and heading towards John's room. Jim as so distracted thinking about John as he walked across the deck, that he didn't see Kida until it was too late.

"Cabin boy," Kida greeted.

"Captain."

"Where are you going so late?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd sit up here for a while."

"Perfect. I was just on my way to fetch you."

It was then that Jim noticed Kida was only wearing a silk robe. _No! Not now, _he thought.

"Come with me to my office, cabin boy."

Jim slowly followed Kida, keeping his eyes down. As soon as he was in her office, she closed the door behind them.

"Cabin boy, it has come to my attention that Pocahontas is no longer on our ship." Kida locked the door and walked across her office. "Considering you were the one in charge of her, I can only assume you helped her escape."

"Yes, ma'am." Jim silently hoped this was the only reason she had him come up to her office.

"You defied a direct order," Kida stated. She turned to face Jim and started twirling the belt of her robe around her finger. "Fortunately for you, winning a fight always puts me in a good mood."

Kida untied her robe, letting it fall open. Jim dropped his eyes to avoid looking at her partially exposed body.

"It's been a while, cabin boy. I need you in me. Now."

_Oh, God, _Jim thought in disgust.

"No."

Kida glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I don't want you," Jim said. "Isn't there someone else on this ship you would rather have?"

"I don't care what _you _want, cabin boy," Kida spat. "You don't get to tell me no."

"Well, I just did."

Kida stormed over to Jim, grabbed the front of his shirt and shoved him roughly against the wall. "I will have you whether you like it or not."

"Are you going to rape me like Gaston did to Aurora?"

Kida narrowed her eyes at Jim. "How dare you speak to me like that? I am your captain and a princess-"

"That's right; you're a princess. You should be able to find a man who actually _wants _to be with you and stop forcing me to do this."

Kida slapped Jim. "That's enough!"

Kida grabbed a rope that was hanging on hook on the wall, then dragged Jim to one of the chairs in front of her desk. She pushed him down, then tied his hands behind the chair back. Jim struggled to get free. When he couldn't, he glared at Kida. She ignored him and started undoing his pants. She quickly pulled them off and dropped them on the floor. She then slipped off her robe and tossed it on top of his clothes. Kida straddled Jim and lowered herself onto his lap. She let out a small sigh as she forced him inside of her. Jim turned his head away from her, but she grabbed his face with her hand and made him look at her, and then she kissed him. The kiss was surprisingly gentle and soft, but Jim still tried to pull away.

When Kida was finally done with him and untied him, Jim got dressed as quickly as he could. He rushed out the door before she could say anything and hurried down to the deck. He leaned over the edge and threw up in the water.

Jim sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he slid to the deck floor and sat down. All he could think about was John. Was he still waiting for Jim to come to his room? The thought of John waiting for him while Kida had had her way with him made Jim feel awful. He buried his face in his hands as guilt gripped his heart. He debated whether or not he should still go to John's room, but in the end he knew he couldn't face John after what just happened. Jim slowly stood up and walked back down to the sleeping quarters. He climbed into his hammock, though he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

Jim started thinking that maybe he should have jumped ship. John deserved better than this and would probably be better off without Jim.


	14. Chapter 14

Jim didn't see John at all the next day. He didn't know if it was because John was upset with him about standing him up the night before or because Kida was keeping him busy; either way, Jim was glad he didn't have to explain why he hadn't seen him last night.

When Jim was done with all of his chores, it was fairly early in the night and he went up to the deck to join the celebration Kida was having to reward the crew for their victory the day before. In the center of the deck, Naveen was playing guitar while Rapunzel sang an upbeat song and Esmeralda danced. Everybody appeared to be having fun for the first time since Jim had boarded the ship. Nearby he saw Dimitiri flirting with the surgeon, Anastasia, but she was clearly not interested. Mulan and Shang and Belle and Adam were dancing in front of Naveen. Merida was sitting on the edge of the ship talking excitedly to Thomas and Flynn. On the upper deck, Eric was at the helm having a serious conversation with Jane. Jim spotted Tiana on the stairs leading to the upper deck. She appeared to be trying to explain something to Phoebus and was motioning wildly with her hands. On the far side of the deck, away from everyone else, Meg was making out with Hercules. The rest of the crew- Kida, Gaston, Kocoum and Shang- were standing in a circle, drinking and bragging about their kills. Jim didn't see John anywhere, though.

Jim started making his way up to John's room, knowing this would be the best time to talk to him since everyone else was distracted. He paused outside John's door and hesitated before finally knocking on it. John opened the door, but didn't say anything when he saw Jim. One look into John's blue eyes and Jim lost his nerve to end things with him. He knew he was being selfish and continuing this relationship wasn't fair to John, but Jim wanted to be with John more than anything.

"I'm sorry about last night," Jim said.

"Don't worry about it." John opened the door further and stepped back. "Come in."

Jim stepped past John, into the room. John closed the door, but didn't move from his spot.

"Why aren't you down at the party?" Jim asked, not knowing what else to say.

"I wanted to be alone."

"Oh. I can leave if you want me to."

John shook his head. "I wanted to be alone in case you came up to see me."

Jim smiled at John, but inside he was yelling at himself. _You're a jerk for doing this to him, _Jim scolded himself. He let his smile fade and then sat down on John's bed.

"Is something wrong?" John asked.

Jim couldn't bring himself to lie to John, but at the same time he knew he couldn't tell him the truth. He took a deep breath and said, "Meg told me what happened with the last guy you were with and I don't want to hurt you like that."

"I see." John leaned against the door. "Are you ending things with me for someone else?"

"What? No! John, there's no one else." Jim ran his hand through his hair. "It's just that I like you and I'm afraid of accidentally hurting you." John didn't say anything, so Jim added, "You're the only one I want and I can't stand the thought of me causing you pain."

The look on John's face was uncertain, yet expectant. "Jim, is there something you need to tell me?"

Jim looked into the eyes of the man he was falling for and lied. "No."

"Good."

John pushed off the door with his foot and slowly walked towards Jim. He leaned over Jim and rested his forehead against Jim's. Jim's heart raced and he forced his guilty thoughts away. He slipped his fingers through John's thick blonde hair and pulled him into a kiss. The kiss lasted a while before they had to part for air. Jim continued to hold John's head close to his own.

"Don't let go," John whispered.

Jim nodded and in an instant his mouth was against John's again. Each time they kissed it was intense, as if their lips had waited forever to be together again. Jim had never been good with words and he could never quite express what was on his mind. But, he always kissed John with everything inside of him, hoping he could show John exactly how he felt about him.

X X X

Meg parted her lips from Hercules' briefly to take in air, but they were suddenly cast in darkness as something blocked the moonlight. She looked up to see that they were now slowly floating through a narrow trench. An eerie silence fell over the crew as they looked around.

"Stay steady!" Kida instructed Eric.

"Aye, Captain."

They weren't even halfway through the trench when they heard singing. The beautiful voice surrounded the ship and all of the men were instantly in a trance.

_It's a siren! _Meg thought, in panic. She grabbed Hercules' head and pulled it close. She put a hand over one of his ears and pressed the other against her chest. She looked around the ship and saw the men walking dreamily towards the edges while Tiana, Anastasia, Esmeralda, Rapunzel, Merida, Mulan and Belle frantically tried to keep them away. Jane was struggling with Eric to take control of the helm, but he shoved her away and she fell hard on the wood and was knocked unconscious.

"It's my mermaid!" Meg heard Eric say.

Kida hurried up the stairs, but had only made it part way when Eric sideswiped the wall of the trench. The impact caused Kida to be thrown against the railing and Meg gripped the edge of the ship to keep from falling overboard. Kida finally made it up to Eric and knocked him away from the helm. She quickly steered the ship away from the wall, but Eric had just as quickly regained his composure and was now fighting for the wheel.

"She wants me to come to her!" Eric snarled.

Meg scanned the trench, but it was too dark to see anything outside of the ship. Hercules struggled against her and she could see the other women were also having trouble controlling the men. Meg knew she try and help them, but she couldn't risk losing Hercules.

All of a sudden, the singing stopped. The men slowly came out of their dreamlike states, but Meg didn't dare let go of Hercules. Once the confusion and chatter settled down, they all noticed a woman standing on the edge of the ship. She was wearing a long white skirt and a white lace corset. Her skin was pale, but her hair was dark brown, almost black. Even Meg had to admit she was beautiful. The woman had her gaze fixed on something on the ship and she gracefully stepped down from the ledge. She slowly walked across the ship, everyone parting out of her way. She stopped in front of Gaston and tilted her head to the side. Kida jumped down from the upper deck and quickly placed herself between the woman and her fiancée.

"Who are you?" Kida demanded.

The woman turned her head to look at Kida. "I'm a siren. But you can call me..." She paused and looked at Gaston again. "Vanessa."

"What do you want?" Kida asked.

"Him." Vanessa motioned at Gaston. "He's the most handsome man I've ever seen and I want him." She now looked at Kida. "In exchange for letting me stay on the ship with him, I will protect your ship and crew from sirens and other dangerous creatures of the ocean."

Kida looked thoughtful for a moment. She glanced at Gaston and the way he was looking at Vanessa made it clear that he was not going to refuse the mysterious woman.

Kida held out her hand and shook Vanessa's. "Deal."


	15. Chapter 15

Jasmine had been Kida's prisoner for a couple weeks now and she had spent every minute of that time with Aladdin. At first things between them were very uncomfortable and the days seemed to pass agonizingly slow as they sat in awkward silences. Eventually, though, they began to have conversations. They were short conversations at first, but soon the two of them would stay up well into the night talking to each other. By now Jasmine knew more about Aladdin than she did her own father. This was especially becoming clearer as her father continued to send more ships after her, despite the fact that Kida always killed the men and never sent survivors back to him. Jasmine was beginning to think Aladdin had been right about her father. Though Jasmine tried to force these thoughts away and deny them, the proof was in the parties Kida threw after killing Jasmine's men. In fact, one of those parties was in full swing on the deck now and Jasmine was trying to distract herself from the celebration of their deaths.

Aladdin was stretched out on the floor in front of Jasmine's cell, fast asleep. It wasn't late by any means, but they had pulled one of their all-nighters the night before and it was finally catching up to him. Jasmine wished she could sleep as well, but she knew she wouldn't be able to. Instead she leaned against her cell door and watched Aladdin sleep. His breathing was even and quiet and she wondered what he was dreaming about. In spite of herself, Jasmine found herself hoping he was dreaming of her. There was no doubt in Jasmine's mind that she was falling for Aladdin, but the feelings confused her. Where did these feelings develop from? Was it because she had gotten to know him better? Or perhaps it was just because he had saved her from Gaston that night and the damsel in her was attracted to his heroic nature? Or could all this be just some sort of form of Stockholm syndrome? Was she mistaking Aladdin's lack of abuse towards her as him having feelings for her and she, in return, was developing feelings for him because of this? Jasmine was so confused. She didn't know if she could even trust her own mind anymore.

Aladdin stirred slightly in his sleep and his hair fell over his face. She slowly reached through the bars and brushed the hair off his forehead. His eyes instantly flew open and Jasmine quickly pulled her hand back.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's all right." Aladdin sat up. "I can't let Kida catch me sleeping while you're awake anyway."

Something falling down the stairs caused both of them to look towards the noise. A wash tub was lying on the bottom of the stairs and a few seconds later a thin woman walked down the stairs after it. Directly behind her was a muscular man carrying two large buckets of water in each hand. Jasmine couldn't help being impressed by his strength. The woman rolled the wash tub towards Jasmine's cell and Aladdin stood up. Jasmine didn't recognize either of them and she kept a careful eye on the man. He didn't look like the man who had attacked her, but he was clearly strong enough to take advantage of Jasmine if he wanted to.

"This is for you," the woman told Jasmine. "I recently learned that while Aladdin has been able to take breaks to bathe on a regular basis, you haven't been able to since you've been here..."

The woman continued to talk, but Jasmine tuned her out. She never thought she'd be so excited about a bath.

"I'm Meg, by the way." Meg stuck her hand through the bars and Jasmine shook it. "This is my boyfriend, Hercules." Meg must have seen the wary look Jasmine gave Hercules because she added, "I know he looks intimidating, but he's really one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."

Jasmine nodded and then, without another word, Meg and Hercules walked away. Aladdin unlocked her door and rolled the tub inside. He then dumped the soapy water into it and turned his back to give Jasmine her privacy. Jasmine kept her eyes on Aladdin as she slowly stripped off her clothes. She washed her hair first, then hurried to clean the rest of herself. Unfortunately, though, the tub was mostly wooden and in her haste she gave herself a splinter. Out of instinct, Jasmine let out a cry of pain.

Aladdin quickly spun around at the sudden sound of her crying out, but when he saw she was still nude, he lowered his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just got a splinter."

Aladdin nodded and turned his back to her again. Jasmine fumbled to get the splinter out, but she was having trouble getting past the pain and pulling it out. She sighed in defeat and looked over at Aladdin. At this point she would normally ignore it and move on, but it hurt a lot and she wanted it out.

"Aladdin, can you help me?"

Aladdin turned around and she held out her hand. Aladdin examined her finger, then grabbed the tip of the splinter and started working it out. Jasmine flinched in pain and tried to pull her hand way, but Aladdin kept a strong grip on it. Once he got it out, he flicked it to the side. He looked up at her and their eyes met for a moment. Without thinking, Jasmine tilted her head up and kissed him. Aladdin started to kiss her back, but stopped himself and stepped back.

"Jasmine, I don't..." He paused.

_It's Stockholm syndrome! _Jasmine scolded herself as she quickly washed out her clothes and put them back on. _You created this whole thing in your head. _At least now she had her answer.

Once Aladdin was sure Jasmine had her clothes on, he looked back at her. "Jasmine, I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you."

This response surprised and somewhat confused Jasmine. "Aladdin, I instigated it."

"I know. But, you've been locked up for a weeks and there's a very good possibility that you're not in your right mind."

He had to be right. Not too long ago Jasmine had just been second guessing her own mind and feelings.

No.

When Aladdin started to kiss her back, she had felt something. Of course, he had ended it too quickly, but she couldn't deny that it stirred up feelings in her. Jasmine took a step forward and gently kissed Aladdin's cheek. He turned his head and looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Please stop. I'm not stupid; I know a princess would never fall for a pirate. You're just trying to seduce me so I'll let you out."

Jasmine took a step back in shock. That thought had never actually come to her. She had come to really enjoy spending time with Aladdin and honestly wouldn't have cared if she stayed in this cell forever, as long as she could still spend every minute with him.

_There's your real answer, _Jasmine told herself. _You really do like him. _She looked around the cell in a desperate act to find a way to show Aladdin her feelings were real. She found what she was looking forward in the corner of the cell. There, attached to a chain on the wall, was an iron shackle. Did she like him that much; that she would risk being chained to the cell wall forever? The answer was yes. She sat down next to the chain, then picked up the shackle and clamped it around her wrist. She pulled on it to make sure she couldn't get free, then looked up at Aladdin. His face was completely expressionless and for a moment Jasmine thought he would just walk out of the cell and leave her like that.

Instead, Aladdin slowly walked over to her and crouched down in front of her.

"I like you," Jasmine said, carefully pronouncing each word.

Aladdin leaned forward and rested his hand on the wall beside Jasmine to brace himself. "I like you, too."

Aladdin was so close to her that when he spoke Jasmine could feel his lips softly brushing over hers. Her heart was racing now and she wanted Aladdin to kiss her more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. When Aladdin didn't move, she could tell he was still hesitant and a little untrusting and she knew she had to say something. She wanted to say 'kiss me', but that didn't seem like enough.

"I'm not a princess, you're not a pirate and I'm not your prisoner," Jasmine told him. "I'm just a woman who has very strong feelings for the man on front of her and is hoping he feels the same way."

Aladdin leaned back a little bit and looked into Jasmine's eyes as if he was searching for something.

Jasmine held up her shackled hand. "I'm not going to try to leave you, Aladdin."

Aladdin's expression softened. He reached out and tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. His fingertips softly caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes. Jasmine took in his touch, setting it to memory in case he pulled away and never touched her again.

He didn't pull away, though. Instead his fingers moved slowly and carefully across her cheek until they found her lips. Jasmine's breathing became heavier in anticipation.

When Aladdin finally kissed her, her heart pounded so hard she thought it would explode. The kiss was soft, sweet and short. Aladdin started to pull away, but Jasmine slid her hand around the back of his neck and desperately brought his mouth back to hers. He lost his balance slightly and fell forward onto his knees. He wrapped his arms tightly around Jasmine and pulled her close to him so she was now straddling him. She tried to put her arms around him as well, but the shackled arm couldn't reach. Aladdin noticed this and broke the kiss just long enough to push Jasmine back against the wall. He kept her body pressed to his and immediately kissed her again. He took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers together, and pinned it against the wall above Jasmine's head.

All they did that night was kiss, but in those moments they felt more passion for each other than any other man and woman could ever know.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this story. I really appreciate all of the reviews! They mean so much to me.**

**I want to send a very very special thank you to this story's biggest fan, supersmashkingdomhearts1999; this chapter is for you...**

Jim lied still, listening to John's heart beat through his perfectly sculpted chest. They were both lying on John's bed; Jim was resting his head on John's chest and had his arm draped over him while John had both arms wrapped firmly around Jim. With all the celebrations Kida had been having, Jim and John were getting to spend more time alone. They had only known each other for a short period of time, but Jim knew without a doubt that John was the one person he was supposed to be with. Everything John was was everything Jim wanted in a partner. Not only that, but John was everything Jim wanted to be. John was his best friend and hero.

John was perfect.

Jim wasn't sure if he believed in soulmates; but if he did, John would be his.

"What's on your mind?" John asked.

"You."

"Oh yeah? What were you thinking about?"

"I really like you. You're brave, strong, caring, compassionate, smart, kind, honest and so much more. You're everything I've ever wanted in a man and a friend." Jim paused. He knew they way he described John didn't even begin to do him justice. He hoped his inability to speak eloquently didn't take away from what he was trying to say. "You're the most amazing person I've ever met."

"I really like you, too, Jim."

The two of them lied there in silence for a while. Soon, Jim's thoughts took on a mind of their own and the next thing he knew he found himself thinking about the man John had been with before him. He couldn't help wondering what he had been like. Had John held him the way he was holding Jim now? Jim tried to banish the thoughts, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened with you and the last man you were with?" Jim asked.

"Meg already told you."

"I want to hear it from you," Jim said. "The whole story."

"All right. His name was Sinbad. He had been part of our crew for a while. He was fearless and out-going; everyone liked him. He was very charming and hard to resist. One night he told me he wanted me. I, too, had gotten caught up in Sinbad's charms and told him I wanted him as well. It was mostly just physical. I mean, I liked him, but our relationship only last about a month or so; not really long enough for me to develop any real feelings for him."

All of this was harder to hear than Jim had thought. Jim was nothing like Sinbad and he couldn't help wondering if that was the type of man John really wanted. The last sentence was the part that upset Jim the most though. It had only been about two weeks since John had first kissed Jim and since then Jim's feelings for him had become very strong. He thought John felt the same way, but John just made it very clear that they were not on the same page.

Jim shifted a little bit and John sensed there was something wrong.

"What is it?" John asked.

"I think you just said you don't have any real feelings for me."

John was clearly taken aback by this. "What?"

Jim started to pull away. "It's only been two weeks and you said-"

John wrapped his arms tighter around Jim to keep him from getting up. "I said a month wasn't long enough for me to develop feelings for Sinbad. Things were different with him than they are with you."

"Why?"

"I've never met anyone like you, Jim." John put his hand on Jim's cheek. "Since the moment I met you, all I've wanted is to have you close to me, protect you and care for you. The feelings I have for you are stronger and more real than anything I've ever felt for anyone."

"Be careful what you say; you're dangerously close to making me completely fall for you."

John rolled Jim onto his back. He stared into Jim's eyes and gently stroked his cheek. "What if I told you I've already fallen for you?"

John didn't let Jim respond before kissing him. All of Jim's emotions welled up inside him at once as John urgently claimed his mouth. Jim parted his lips slightly and welcomed John's tongue. Electricity shot through Jim's body as their tongues caressed each other. He couldn't help but let out a small sigh. He slipped his hands under John's shirt and ran his hands up his back. John slid his lips down to Jim's neck and covered it with gentle kisses before lightly running the tip of his tongue over his skin. Jim tilted his head back dug his nails into John's back. He felt himself losing control. John gripped Jim's hip and pulled his body closer to him. Jim slipped one hand out from under John's shirt and entangled his fingers in John's hair. He forced John's face back up to his and kissed him again. John started kissing Jim aggressively, but suddenly stopped and broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" Jim asked, not letting him go.

"I don't want to move too fast with you. I want what we have to last," John said.

"Nothing you do will make me want to leave."

"You don't know that."

Jim pushed John over onto his back and held himself above him. "You're all I've ever wanted; I knew that from the start. I'm yours as long as you want me."

John brushed his thumb along Jim's cheekbone. "I will always want you, Jim Hawkins."

John gently brought Jim's mouth down to his. This kiss was different and sweet; almost as if at that moment everything changed. Jim kissed John more deeply as he realized that nothing had changed, but instead his feelings for John were becoming so strong that it almost overwhelmed him.

Jim slowly stopped kissing John and looked right into his intense blue eyes.

"I love you, John."

John propped himself up on one elbow and let go of Jim. "Don't say things you can't take back."

"I will never take that back."

John carefully moved Jim off him and started to get up. Jim quickly grabbed John's wrist and pulled him back onto the bed. He forced John onto his back and pinned him down.

"You don't know what you're getting into, Jim," John said quietly.

"No I don't." Jim lowered his mouth to John's neck. He left a trail of kisses up his neck and then let his breath fall over John's skin as he whispered, "But I know I love you."

John slipped his wrist out of Jim's grasp and cupped Jim's face in his hand. Then, for the first time since Jim had met him, John smiled. He smiled lovingly at Jim and started kissing him again.

"I love you, too, Jim," John whispered between kisses.


	17. Chapter 17

Everyone aboard The Damned kept their eyes on Vanessa; the women out of caution and the men out of lust. Everyone, that is, except Kida. Kida saw Vanessa as their secret weapon and their best defense. Kida suddenly felt invincible; this was evident in her recent, unnecessary attacks on other ships. Despite feeling bad for the other sailors being killed, Meg couldn't help feeling relieved and a little excited. Thanks to Vanessa's power over other sea creatures, no one on The Damned actually had to do any killing, but they still got the rewards; like money, treasure and new clothes. And Vanessa got Gaston. Personally, Meg felt Vanessa got the short end of the deal, but Vanessa seemed happy. Gaston must have been satisfied as well, because he stopped going after the other women on the ship. With Kida and Gaston in such great moods all the time, the atmosphere on the ship became a lot more relaxed. It almost made Meg reconsider jumping ship at some point. But, she knew Kida's good moods didn't last long. Eventually something would happen that would bring back the old Kida and everything would go back to the way they used to be. So, while everyone else celebrated, Meg braced herself for the sudden switch. She knew the storm was coming soon.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Meg tore her eyes away from where Kida and Vanessa were talking and looked up at Hercules.

"They're not worth that much," she replied.

Hercules slipped in behind Meg and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sure that's not true. But, if you don't feel like talking we can do something else." He lowered his head kissed her neck.

Meg closed her eyes and smiled. "I like your thinking."

The two of them snuck down to the sleeping quarters, but were disappointed to see that Mulan and Shang had had the same idea as them and beat them to it.

"Let's go to the medic station," Meg whispered to Hercules. He nodded and followed her.

Meg closed the door and Hercules slid a cabinet in front of it to ensure they'd have privacy. Meg hopped up on the table and smiled seductively at Hercules. He stood in front of her and kissed her without hesitation. Meg leaned back on one hand as the force of his kiss caused her to teeter a little bit. She desperately kissed him back, hungry for more of him. Since the brig was now occupied by Aladdin and Jasmine, Meg and Hercules no longer had a place to be alone and it had been a while since they were able to make love to each other. Meg's body was aching for Hercules' and she thought she was going explode.

The two of them quickly removed their clothes and then were instantly back to kissing. Hercules grabbed Meg's hips and pulled her closer to him. Meg tried to be quiet when he entered her, but it felt so good she couldn't help crying out. Hercules forced his mouth against hers to keep her from moaning too loudly. She wrapped her legs around him and used her body to show him how much he was pleasuring her. Meg had climaxed several times before Hercules finally released inside her. The two of them then collapsed against each other.

"My God you're amazing," Meg whispered.

Hercules smiled. "We have great chemistry."

Meg smiled and hugged Hercules tighter. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

X X X

"I hope my father never rescues me," Jasmine said quietly.

"You don't mean that. You can't possibly want to stay in this cell for the rest of your life."

Jasmine shook her head. "No, I don't. But, I also don't want to spend the rest of my life without you."

Aladdin had been holding Jasmine's hand through the bars of her cell door, but now he let go of her. "Maybe we should just stop what we're doing and accept the fact that there's no way for us to be together. You can't stay locked up forever and your father would never approve of you marrying a pirate."

Jasmine reached through the bars to take Aladdin's hand back, but he was out of her reach. "Why do you keep trying to push me away?"

"I'm trying to be realistic."

"You want reality, Aladdin?" Jasmine demanded, starting to get frustrated. "I shackled myself to a wall to show you how much I like you. I'm willing to stay a prisoner on a ship just so I can be with you. I'd give up everything for you; I _love _you! That's real, Aladdin. And you know what else is: the fact that despite _all_ of that, you still can't admit your feelings for me. You can try pushing me away all you want, but how I feel about you will never change. I will never stop fighting for us, but please don't make me fight alone."

Aladdin stared at her and for a long moment and Jasmine thought he would give her one of his worn out lines about princesses having no business being with pirates.

"Your father will eventually give Kida what she wants and she will let you go. What then?"

"I won't go."

"Then she'll kill you."

"Then let her kill me!" Jasmine snapped, slamming her hand against the bars. "As far as I can see I have nothing to live for, anyway. My father has chosen his money over me and I gave my heart and body to a man who is incapable of love."

Jasmine stood up and walked to the other side of her cell. She lied down on her side, with her back to Aladdin. She cursed herself for falling so hard and quickly for Aladdin. She should have known he wouldn't feel anything real for her. He was a pirate after all and his heart was clearly as empty as the captain's.

Jasmine heard Aladdin open the cell door and then close it again. She didn't look at him, even when she felt him lower himself next to her. He put his hand on her arm and his touch gave Jasmine goosebumps.

"You're wrong, Jasmine," he said, quietly.

Jasmine gave in and rolled over to look up at him. "About what?"

"About me." Aladdin intertwined his fingers with Jasmine's. "I know it sounds romantic for you to give up your life for me, but I'm not worth it. I was poor and living on the streets before I joined this crew and now I'm nothing but a pirate. I push you away because I know you can do better, not because I don't love you. You deserve a prince."

"I think I deserve a man who loves me," Jasmine said. "It really doesn't matter to me if that man is a prince or a pirate."

"Jasmine, I do love you, but-"

Jasmine reached up and lightly brushed her finger over his lips. "I've already given you all of me. If you truly love me, then do the same."

Aladdin kissed Jasmine's hand, then put it over his heart so she could feel it beating. "It beats only for you. As long as I'm alive, my heart belongs to you."

Jasmine gripped Aladdin's shirt and pulled him down on top of her. She kissed him softly, only pausing to whisper, "Make love to me, Aladdin. I want your body again."

Despite the obvious yearning between them, they took their time. Their bodies moved together passionately, but gently. Aladdin held Jasmine's hand the whole time and kissed her often. Jasmine moaned softly and Aladdin sighed as their heated feelings intensified. They shut out the rest of the world, ignoring their problems and tuning out everything around them.

Until a voice pried between them.

"What the hell is going on?"

Jasmine and Aladdin quickly pulled apart and Aladdin moved protectively in front of Jasmine. Kida was standing outside the cell with a dark-haired woman beside her.

"Captain, I can explain," Aladdin started.

Kida held up her hand to silence him. She then turned to the other woman. "Vanessa, fetch Gaston, Adam and Kocoum."

Vanessa nodded once, then walked away. Jasmine and Aladdin put their clothes back on while Kida kept a careful eye on them.

"You have betrayed me, Aladdin," Kida said as Vanessa returned with the three men. "You will be punished accordingly. Adam, Kocoum, bring Aladdin to the deck. Gaston, grab the prisoner; I want her to watch."

In an instant, the three men were in the cell, seizing Jasmine and Aladdin. Aladdin struggled against Adam and Kocoum, but Jasmine went willingly; she already knew she wouldn't be able to get away from Gaston. Once on deck, the rest of the crew stared at them and moved out of the way.

"Aladdin has betrayed me by fornicating with the prisoner!" Kida announced.

Jasmine could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she never looked away from Aladdin. This was all her fault and she knew it. Whatever happened to the man she loved was because of her.

"As you all know, the punishment for treason is death," Kida continued.

"No!" Jasmine knew it had been her who cried out, but she suddenly felt disconnect from the rest of her body.

Aladdin looked over at her, his face expressionless, and mouthed _"I love you." _Jasmine fought back her tears and mouthed that she loved him, too.

"Aladdin will be thrown overboard and left to drown-" Kida looked at Jasmine- "or become food for the sharks."

Now Jasmine let herself cry. "Please don't kill him!" she pleaded. "This is my fault; punish me."

"Don't you touch her!" Aladdin growled.

"I still need you alive, Princess," Kida stated. "But rest assured that if your father does not pay me, you will be joining Aladdin."

Kocoum and Adam led Aladdin to the plank and Kocoum placed iron cuffs over his wrists. Jasmine struggled to get away from Gaston, but he just laughed and gripped her tighter.

"Let him go!" Jasmine begged.

Adam drew his sword and forced Aladdin onto the plank. Jasmine's heart was pounding now, pumping cold blood through her veins. Fear choked her and she knew if she had to watch Aladdin die, then she would surely die, too.

When Aladdin didn't jump willingly, Adam hit him on the head with the end of his sword and pushed him overboard. The sound of him hitting the water was deafening.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine screamed.

She threw her head back as hard as she could and hit Gaston in the throat. He let go of her and she immediately ran towards the plank. She dove towards the water, but a pair of strong hands caught her mid air and pulled her back onto the ship. Jasmine fought against him and he pinned her arms behind her back. She started kicking, but he dragged her back to the brig. Adam threw her into her cell and slammed the door behind her. She grabbed the bars and spit in his face.

Kida stepped up to the cell door. She reached out, grabbed Jasmine's hair and forced her against the bars. "I will _always _win, Princess."


	18. Chapter 18

The crew of The Damned was deathly silent until Kida was no longer within earshot. When she was gone, quiet murmurs spread through everyone. They were all shocked that Kida just had Aladdin killed. True, Kida had killed a lot of people, but never anyone from her own crew. At first no one knew what to do, but then one by one they each walked off the deck; all but Meg and Flynn. Flynn had been Aladdin's best friend; they joined the crew together. Now he walked over to the edge of the ship and looked down in the water. Of course by now they were nowhere near where Aladdin had gone overboard, but it was obvious Flynn was still searching for him and expecting him to surface.

Meg had mixed feelings about Aladdin's death. Naturally, she was horrified and sad; at the same time, though, she couldn't help thinking this is exactly what she had been waiting for. There was no way anyone on the crew would take Kida's side after this. Now was the time to start devising a plan to get rid of Kida and Gaston. There wasn't a doubt in Meg's mind that the crew would go for it now.

Meg walked over to Flynn and put her hand on his back. "How are you doing?"

Flynn glared at Meg and then walked away. Meg hurried down to the sleeping quarters and found Hercules. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from everyone else.

"This is it," Meg whispered to him, almost excitedly.

"What are you talking about?"

"After what Kida just did, it'll be so easy to get everyone to go along with getting rid of her," Meg told him.

"John won't go for it."

Meg thought about John's new romance with Jim. The only reason they had to keep their relationship secret was Kida. If she and Gaston were gone, John and Jim could be out in the open. Yes; she was sure John would go for it.

"Yes he will," she said. "Trust me."

"I don't know about this, Meg. What if everything goes wrong?"

Meg raised an eyebrow at him. "Hercules, please don't wuss out on me. I need you. _This crew_ needs you."

Hercules glanced over at the rest of the crew and then looked back at Meg. "All right, Meg; I'll do it."

X X X

Jim didn't know Aladdin. He had only spoken him to him a few times when he brought food down to the brig for him and the princess. He wasn't too upset about what Kida did to him. Jim had long ago learned the kind of person Kida was and this didn't surprise him at all. What it did, however, was make him worry about his own life. And John's. If Kida reacted like that to Aladdin sleeping with her prisoner, how would she react to her first mate and lover sleeping together? Jim knew his and John's deaths would be worse than Aladdin's.

"What's the matter?" John asked, coming up behind Jim and wrapping his arms around him.

It was then that Jim realized he had been anxiously pacing back and forth in John's room. "It's nothing."

How could Jim express his concerns to John without telling him that he was sleeping with Kida behind his back? He couldn't.

"Is it what just happened with Aladdin?" John asked.

"I guess."

John kissed Jim's neck. "Don't worry about it," he whispered.

John continued to lightly kiss Jim's neck, driving Jim crazy. John leaned down a little further and lowered his mouth to Jim's collarbone. Jim tilted his head to the side and sighed. John's kisses trailed back up to Jim's neck. He then carefully ran the tip of his tongue down Jim's neck and back to his collarbone. Jim quickly spun around, grabbed John's head and kissed him. John wrapped his arms tightly around Jim. John forced Jim's apart and slipped his tongue into his mouth. Jim slid his hands down John's body, then gripped his hips and forced his body against his. He could feel John's body harden in anticipation, but John quickly pulled away.

Jim took a step back. He slowly removed his clothes, without taking his eyes off John. John watched him, his face expressionless. Once he was completely in the nude, Jim climbed into John's bed and pulled the sheet up to his waist, leaving his torso exposed. John took off his shirt and then undid his pants; he paused before taking them off, though. John stood there, half naked, with his pants undone and teasing Jim with the fact that he wasn't wearing any underwear. Jim propped himself up on his elbows and took in this sight of John. Finally John removed his pants and slipped under the sheets next to Jim. He cupped the side of Jim's face in his hand and kissed him again. Jim put his arms around John and pulled him closer.

"Don't pull away this time," Jim whispered.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

Jim smiled, then gently eased John onto his back. He planted firm kisses on John's chest, then moved up to his neck and ran his tongue over his skin the way John had done to him just moments before. John closed his eyes and let out a small sigh.

"I want to make love to you, John," Jim whispered into his ear.

John slid himself behind Jim and leaned against him. He gently kissed his back and shoulders then put his hand over Jim's and they intertwined their fingers together. Jim had been wanting this since their first kiss and every time John kissed him or touched him it made him want it even more. Jim loved John and he wanted more than anything to physically express that with him. John pressed his body against Jim's and he could tell John was aching for him as well. Jim's heart raced in anticipation, but John hesitated.

"I don't want you to regret this," John told him as he continued to kiss Jim's shoulders.

"Never."


	19. Chapter 19

Pocahontas glared at the oversize man who had his hand wrapped tightly around her arm. He dragged her behind him, down to the dungeon of the palace. Another guard was standing in front of a cell and turned around when he heard them barge in. The large guard gripped Pocahontas' arm more tightly and pushed her forward.

"Here she is, Razoul."

Razoul looked Pocahontas up and down. "Who is she?"

"This is the woman I saw jumping from Kida's ship." The large guard hesitated. "You told me to find her and bring her to you."

Razoul nodded. "Of course. Tell me, woman; where is Captain Kida's ship?"

Pocahontas stared at him, pretending not to understand him, then told him she didn't know in her native language.

Razoul glared at the large guard. "What is this?"

"She must be faking it. She understands you."

Razoul turned back to Pocahontas. "Is that true? Are you playing some sort of game?"

Pocahontas looked back and forth between both men, pretending to be really confused, but didn't say anything.

"She's useless!" Razoul cried out. He then slapped Pocahontas across the face.

She resisted the urge to spit on him and stared at him in mock fear.

"It doesn't matter," Razoul said. "I'm sure we'll get the blonde to talk."

Pocahontas looked over Razoul's shoulder to the cell he was standing in front of it. The woman inside was covered in dirt, bruises, cuts and burns. Her dress was torn down the middle and she was clinging to it, trying to cover herself. Pocahontas vaguely recognized her and was almost certain she had been on Princess Kida's ship, but she didn't know her name.

"Let the savage go," Razoul demanded to the large guard. "But take her out the back so the Sultan doesn't see her."

The large guard nodded and pulled Pocahontas away from Razoul. Pocahontas looked back just as Razoul grabbed the blonde by her hair and pulled her out of the cell. The large guard stopped suddenly and Pocahontas stumbled. She looked back at him as he opened a small wooden door. The two of them slipped through the door and were greeted by another guard. This guard closed the door behind them and locked the door. The chamber got darker the further they went and Pocahontas couldn't help feeling uneasy. They eventually came to the end of the hallway, though, where a torch was hanging on the wall next to a portrait of an older man; Pocahontas guessed he was the Sultan. The large guard grabbed the edge of the painting and opened is as if it were a door.

The worst stench imaginable escaped from behind the painting and Pocahontas couldn't help gagging. The guard, however, seemed completely unfazed by it. He picked up the torch then climbed into the tunnel in the wall, pulling Pocahontas behind him. Pocahontas started to pull herself inside, but stumbled back when she realized that it wasn't a tunnel; it was a cavern full of dead bodies. She fought back a scream and tried to get away, but the guard forced her inside and closed the portrait door behind them. Pocahontas let a couple tears escape from her eyes as they climbed over the bodies. When they reached the other side, there was a circular hatch. It wasn't very big and Pocahontas wondered if they used it to ventilate this room of death. The guard opened the hatch and Pocahontas took in the fresh air. She was also a little surprised to see it was still somewhat light outside. She had been in the dark for a while and just assumed it was dark outside as well. The guard motioned towards the opening, signaling for Pocahontas to climb out. She didn't hesitate and squeezed through the small opening. She was momentarily startled when she realized it was about three feet from the ground. She landed in a crouching position, then took off running.

As Pocahontas made her way through the market place, she could still smell the stench of death on her clothes. It was then that she noticed a stand where a woman behind a stand, selling women's clothing. Unfortunately, though, Pocahontas didn't have any money. She ducked down low near the stand and waited until the woman was distracted by a customer and her back was turned, then grabbed two black shirts, two pairs of black pants and two pairs of black boots. She looked around to make sure no one saw her, then turned and ran. As she reached the edge of the market place she spotted a blacksmith's shop that had a display of knives outside. Without thinking, she took four of them and tucked them under her stolen clothes.

Once hidden in the small wooded area between the market place and palace, Pocahontas took off her dress and put on a pair of the pants and boots and the slipped on the off the shoulder, midriff peasant blouse. She stuck two of the knives in her boots, then gathered up the other two knives and the remainder of the clothes and headed back to the palace.

Pocahontas didn't know the blonde woman from Kida's ship, but there was no way she was going to leave her to be tortured in that dungeon. She waited behind a tree near the palace until it was well past dark. She then hoisted herself up to the hatch she had been released from and pushed it open. She took a deep breath then stumbled onto the dead bodies once again. She left the hatch open and made her way out the cavern as quickly as possible. Pocahontas tightly gripped one of the knives as she made her way down the hall. As soon as the guard came into view, she charged him before he could attack her first. They struggled in a fight for a few minutes, but Pocahontas eventually got the upper hand and slit his throat.

The image of Kida slitting Tarzan's throat instantly popped into her mind and her vision blurred with tears. She pushed the image away and grabbed the guard's keys. She opened the door slowly and quietly. When she was sure the coast was clear, she snuck into the dungeon. A different guard was watching over the blonde; he was much smaller than Razoul. Pocahontas snuck up behind him and slit his throat as well. Again, she saw Tarzan's face, but she dismissed it. She fumbled with the different cell keys until she found the one that unlocked the girl's cell. The blonde stared at Pocahontas and huddled closer to the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Pocahontas told her. "I'm gonna get you out of here." She held out the extra clothes out to her.

The girl took the clothes and Pocahontas turned around to keep an eye out for other guards while she changed.

"What's your name?" Pocahontas asked her.

"Aurora."

"I'm Pocahontas."

"Pocahontas?" Aurora paused. "Weren't you the prisoner Kida took aboard for John Smith?"

"Yes."

"You can turn around now."

Aurora was wearing the same tight black pants and high heeled boots as Pocahontas, but the top Pocahontas had grabbed for her was a black leather vest. It was fastened tightly around her body with three buttons on the front, showing off her cleavage, and there was about two or three inches of skin exposed between the end of the vest and the top of her pants. Pocahontas noticed Aurora had a tattoo of a rose peeking out the top of her pants.

Pocahontas pulled the knives out of her boots and handed them to Aurora. "Just in case."

Aurora took the knives and the two of them slipped out of the dungeon. They didn't run into anymore guard on their way back to the cavern. But, when Pocahontas moved the portrait and Aurora saw the bodies, she let out a small scream. Pocahontas immediately put her hand over Aurora's mouth. Aurora pulled away from her.

"I'm not going in there."

"It's the only way out without being spotted."

Aurora backed up against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself. "I-I can't do it."

"Would you rather stay here?"

Aurora shook her head. "No."

Pocahontas held out her hand. "You can do this."

Aurora hesitantly took Pocahontas' hand the Pocahontas led her into the cavern.

"Go for the opening. There's about a three foot drop, so be careful."

Pocahontas closed the door behind them, then followed Aurora. Once they were both out, they made a run for it.


	20. Chapter 20

You couldn't go anywhere without running into Gaston and Vanessa having sex. It was all they seemed to do. It was obvious Vanessa was crazy about him, but how he felt about her wasn't as easy to figure out. Though, Jim was fairly certain that Vanessa had him under a spell most of the time and that was why Gaston was leaving the other women alone. Vanessa wanted to make sure he only wanted her.

At first, Kida hadn't cared about this. But now she was starting to get angry at the fact that Gaston was so faithful to this woman he didn't know- who was in fact not even a woman but a sea creature disguised at one- but he wasn't loyal to his own fiancée. One particular night, after catching Vanessa and Gaston going at it in their bed again, Kida demanded Jim stay in her office with him and be her slave all night.

Jim and Kida had already slept together twice that night, but Kida was now gearing up to go for a third time. Honestly, Jim was so sore and felt so sick that he didn't think he could do it again. It didn't matter to Kida, though. She was dead set on having revenge sex and nothing was going to stop her. She swiped everything off her desk and pushed Jim down on it before climbing on top of him.

As usual, Jim looked away from her and tried wiping his thoughts clean. He didn't want to be in the moment with Kida, but he also had to keep from thinking about John. He had only been with John the one time and had managed to stay away from Kida after that-until tonight. Every time Kida touched him, Jim wanted to cry at the thought of him betraying John like this.

"Call me your captain," Kida whispered.

"My Captain," Jim muttered, flatly.

Kida didn't notice his lack of enthusiasm; either that or she just ignored it. Either way she started moaning as she continued to grind against him.

It was then that everything started to fall apart.

John burst into the office. "Captain-" He stopped short when he saw Jim.

Jim tried to get up, but Kida forced him back down. "I'm busy, Mr. Smith."

"I beg your pardon, ma'am, but there is another ship quickly approaching ours." John didn't take his eyes off Jim.

Jim dropped his eyes and avoided looking back at John.

"I'll be out there in a moment."

John nodded, then quickly exited the office. The second Kida was off him, Jim rolled off the desk and pulled his clothes back on. This was the worst moment of his life.

X X X

It wasn't until after the battle was over and all the blood was cleaned up that Jim had the chance to talk to John. He had been thinking about what he wanted to say to him all night, but nothing seemed good enough. He had to try and set things right, though. He took a deep breath and made his way up to John's room. As he was approaching John's room, his door opened and Meg slipped out. As soon as she saw Jim a look of pure hatred clouded her face and she made a beeline towards him.

"How dare you!"

Meg didn't give Jim a chance to respond before punching him in the face. She then kneed him in the stomach and Jim hunched over. Meg shoved him against the wall and pinned her arm against his throat.

"How could you do this to John?" Meg demanded. "He _loved _you!"

"I love him, too," Jim choked out.

"The hell you do!" Meg pressed her arm harder against his throat. "I'm going to end you."

Meg kneed him in the groin and then pulled out her sword. She pointed it at Jim's face and he slowly stood up.

"Meg, please! You don't understand."

"What? Was John just your little experiment while you were screwing Kida?"

"No! I love John!"

Jim tried to get away, but Meg kicked him in the chest and pinned him to the wall with her foot. She extended her arm and rested the blade of the sword next to his neck. One swift thrust and she would decapitate him. Jim thought about shoving her away from him, but before he could move, Meg brought back the sword. Just as she was about to swing it at him, John grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"That's enough, Meg," John said quietly.

"But, John-"

"Leave us."

Meg's eyes widened in shock, but she sheathed her sword and started walking away.

"This isn't over, cabin boy," she whispered to Jim.

Jim ignored her and forced himself to look up at John. The pain in John's eyes was unmistakable and it broke Jim's heart. John motioned for Jim to follow him back to his room.

"John, I'm so sorry," Jim blurted out as John closed the door. "But it wasn't really what it looked like. Kida's been forcing me to have sex with her since my first day on board."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to hurt you."

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Jim didn't respond. "You made love to me despite your affair with the captain?"

"Kida doesn't mean anything to me," Jim insisted. "It has never been consensual."

John gave him a disbelieving look. "So, she's been raping you?" he asked slowly.

"Yes."

"Honestly, Jim; knowing Kida like I do, I believe that," John told him. "But you should have told me."

"John, I'm sorry." Jim was close to tears and he did his best to keep them back.

"You really screwed up, Jim. If you kept something like this from me, how can I ever trust you?"

"I know I screwed up. And I know I don't deserve your trust or your forgiveness, but-"

"You're right." John lowered his head. "I think you should leave."

"No! John, please..." Jim reached out to John, but he stepped away from him.

Jim stared at John for a moment, then slowly walked towards the door.

"Did you mean anything you said to me?" John asked him, quietly.

"I meant every word."

"So did I."

Jim started to reach for the doorknob, but stopped and turned around. "You told me you would always want me."

John nodded. "I _will _always want you. But you hurt me, Jim; more so than anyone else. I don't know if I'll ever be able to open my heart to you again."


	21. Chapter 21

Meg and Hercules were lying in bed. Everyone else had fallen asleep a long time ago. Hercules wrapped his arms around Meg and pulled her on top of him. He started kissing her, but she turned her head away. He let his mouth trail down to her neck.

"All we need is a mutiny," Meg told him.

"Mmhmm," Hercules mumbled as he continued to kiss her neck.

"I mean we completely outnumber Kida and Gaston..."

Hercules stopped kissing Meg and looked at her. "Can we not talk about this now?"

"We have to," Meg stated. "If we're gonna strike we have to do it while everyone is still upset about what Kida did to Aladdin."

"Do you even have a plan?" Hercules asked.

"Convince everyone to go against them. It shouldn't be hard."

"What about Vanessa?"

"What about her?"

Hercules raised an eyebrow. "She's very powerful and she's on their side. It doesn't matter that we outnumber them, we can't win against her."

"Damn," Meg muttered. How could she have forgotten to calculate Vanessa into this? "There's gotta be some way to get her on our side."

"Not going to happen. She's obsessed with Gaston."

Meg rolled her eyes. "I don't see why; he's such a jerk."

"I don't know what to tell you, Meg."

Meg sat up so she was now straddling Hercules. He smiled at her, but she frowned. "Why are you against this?"

"I'm not."

"Well, you're not exactly supportive or helpful in any way, shape or form."

"I'm trying to be realistic, Meg."

"Then why don't you use that realistic brain of yours to help me come up with a plan? This isn't just for me, Hercules; this is for all of us. I mean, Gaston has raped almost every woman on this ship, Kida has tortured Esmeralda and now she's killed Aladdin. Who is she going to kill next?"

"I don't know, Meg."

"Hercules, I really need your help."

"Why don't you ask that cabin boy to help you? You two seem to spend a lot of time together."

Meg narrowed her eyes in anger at the mention of Jim. No way in Hell would the man who is sleeping with the Captain help her start a mutiny.

"Jim is a traitor. I don't want anything from him," Meg stated.

Hercules was quiet for a few moments. He gently stroked Meg's hair as he got lost in thought. He then sat up and wrapped his arms around Meg.

"Yon know, if we could find some way to make Vanessa think Gaston betrayed her, she would probably be on our side," Hercules said.

Meg smiled at him. "Finally, you start helping me."

"It should be rather easy. All we'd have to do is make sure Vanessa catches Gaston with another woman."

Meg gave Hercules a sly look. "I imagine how she'd react if she caught Gaston and Kida together."

"Except Gaston and Kida never sleep together."

"Yeah, they're too busy whorin' it up with other people."

"They? Who is Kida sleeping with?"

"Jim." Meg spat his name out like it was poison.

The look on Hercules' face was beyond surprised. "I see what you mean about him being a traitor."

X X X

It was Flynn's turn to guard Jasmine. Because of what happened between her and Aladdin, Kida made sure no one man watched over her for too long. Jasmine didn't care who was guarding her. She didn't care about anything anymore. After watching the man she loved get killed, she shut down. She no longer felt anything. It didn't make sense to her, since she hadn't known him very long, but she knew she would never love again. How could she? Kida could hit her with her best shot, but nothing would be worst than killing Aladdin.

Flynn was sitting across from Jasmine's cell. He was facing her, but his eyes were far away and she knew he was deep in thought. She remembered Aladdin telling her once that Flynn was his best friend and Jasmine wondered if Flynn was thinking about Aladdin now.

The door to the brig slowly opened and someone came down. It was too dark for Jasmine to see who it was, but she guessed it was Shang since he and Flynn alternated turns watching over Jasmine and they were the only ones whoever came down there.

Flynn slowly stood up and faced the person. They were still out of Jasmine's sight, but Flynn could clearly see them. Flynn's eyes suddenly became wide and he just stared.

"It's impossible," Flynn muttered.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at him in confusion, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

"How...?" Flynn started to ask, but he stopped when the person stepped into the light and stood in front of him.

Jasmine's heart almost pounded right out of her chest when she finally got a look at the person who had joined them.

It was Aladdin!

Jasmine tried to say his name, but she was afraid that she was in some sort of dream and if she spoke his name, then he'd disappear. Flynn reached out to touch Aladdin. When he realized Aladdin was in fact real, he hugged him.

"We all thought you were dead, man," Flynn told him. He then stepped back. "You _should _be dead. How did you survive?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Jasmine felt like she would literally melt when she heard Aladdin speak. She never thought she'd ever hear his voice again. All of a sudden it was like Jasmine was being pulled out of a dream and everything became so real. Aladdin was alive and he was standing only a few feet away from her.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine tried running towards him, but was stopped by the shackle around her wrist. Aladdin turned to face her and then smiled. "Oh, Aladdin, you're really all right."

"Yes I am."

"How?" Flynn repeated.

Aladdin looked back and forth between Flynn and Jasmine, but they both just stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"A mermaid saved me."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him. Had he gone crazy? Mermaids don't exist.

"You're starting to sound like Eric," Flynn said, flatly.

"I know. Trust me, I know how it sounds. But it's true," Aladdin said. "It's actually the mermaid who saved Eric that night. She's been following us for a while because she's in love with Eric. She saw me get thrown overboard and rescued me."

"But, that was days ago," Jasmine pointed out. "Where have you been this whole time?"

"A ship for your Army found me floating in the ocean and picked me up," Aladdin replied. "I managed to sneak on board here last night during the battle."

"So, what now?" Flynn asked. "Why did you come back?"

"For Jasmine. After I told them I had been part of this crew, a few of the men got in one of the safety boats and hung back. They're waiting for Jasmine."

"They're out there now?" Jasmine asked.

"Not exactly. They're several miles behind us so Kida can't see them. The mermaid is going to bring you to them," Aladdin told her.

Jasmine and Flynn were both staring at him like he was insane.

"So..." Jasmine started slowly. "Let me see if I can put this together correctly. Your plan is for me to-what? - jump overboard so a _mermaid _can bring me to my men?"

"Basically, yes."

"No!" Jasmine and Flynn said at the same time.

Now it was Aladdin's turn to stare. "Why not?"

"Aladdin, Kida tried killing you because you were sleeping with Jasmine. What do you think she'll do to me when she finds out Jasmine escaped under my watch?" Flynn demanded.

"It doesn't matter," Jasmine said. "I'm not going."

"Why not?" Aladdin repeated.

"First of all, sweetie, I don't believe in mermaids. Second of all, I just got you back; I can't lose you again."

"Jasmine, you and I will be together again. But, I'm needed here."

Flynn was looking more and more perplexed the more Aladdin talked. "Everyone thinks you're dead; how could you possibly be needed?"

Aladdin lowered his voice. "Meg is planning a mutiny and she's gonna need all the help she can get."

"The answer is still no," Jasmine stated.

"Jasmine, if you don't go your father is just going to keep sending more men after you. How many men do you want to die because of you?" Aladdin asked.

"Plus, if there's going to be a mutiny another battle could really derail that," Flynn added.

"You have to go, Jasmine," Aladdin said.

"There's still the mermaid issue, Aladdin. _They're_ _not real_."

Aladdin ignored her and Flynn unlocked her cell. Flynn then stepped inside and released the shackle around her wrist. Aladdin hurried inside the cell and pulled Jasmine into his arms.

"You're going to be okay," Aladdin told her.

He kept his arm around her as the three of them quietly snuck up to the deck. Aladdin led Jasmine to the plank while Flynn kept watch. Jasmine peered over the edge. The water was pitch black and she couldn't see anything.

"I don't know about this, Aladdin." Jasmine went from thinking Aladdin was crazy to just being scared.

"You have to jump before someone catches us," Aladdin told her.

"I don't think I can. There's nobody out there, Aladdin."

"She's there."

Jasmine gripped the edge, but then stepped back. "I can't."

Aladdin took Jasmine's face in his hands and forced her too look at him. "Jasmine, I promise you'll be okay." Jasmine glanced nervously at the water. "Do you trust me?"

Jasmine looked back at Aladdin. "Yes."

"Then jump."

Jasmine took a deep breath and nodded. She walked back over to the plank and stepped onto it. Her heart started racing and she suddenly couldn't breathe. Aladdin came up behind her to keep her from changing her mind.

"I love you, Aladdin."

Aladdin pulled Jasmine into a kiss. His mouth was warm and his lips tasted like salt. He broke the kiss slowly. "I love you, too."

Jasmine took in a breath then, without thinking, dove into the ocean. The water was much colder than she was expecting. She tried to quickly resurface, but a hand grabbed her wrist. Jasmine opened her eyes to see a young woman floating in front of her. She had wild red hair, a purple seashell bikini top and a green mermaid fin. Jasmine had no idea how to react to seeing her. Mostly, though, she was relieved.

The mermaid kept Jasmine under the water until the ship had passed them. She then swam to the surface, pulling Jasmine up with her. Jasmine took in a breath of air. The mermaid smiled at her.

"You must be Princess Jasmine."

Jasmine slowly nodded.

"I'm Ariel."


	22. Chapter 22

Pocahontas was starting to get discouraged. It had been a few days since she had rescued Aurora, but they were still stranded in Agrabah. Since the guards were looking for Aurora, the two of them had to stay hidden during the day and could only come out late at night. They were trying to get a ride on a ship that would take them away from here and back to The Damned, but so far no ships docked at the Agrabah port at night.

"I don't understand why you want to go _back _to The Damned," Aurora whispered to Pocahontas as they hid in the shadows by the dock. "Have you forgotten how terrible Kida is? I know I haven't..."

It was too dark to see Aurora, but Pocahontas glanced in the area where her voice had come from. "I told you; I have to get my brother off that ship. Kida took my husband from me; she's not going to take Kocoum from me, too."

"All right. I'll help you rescue your brother since you saved me. However, as soon as we have him, I'm leaving and going back home."

"Do you have someone waiting for you back home?" Pocahontas asked.

Aurora was silent for a few moments before finally saying, "I don't know. My parents died a couple years ago and I couldn't handle it, so I left and joined Kida's crew. At the time I was engaged to a man name Philip, but I just left him without so much as a goodbye or an explanation. I don't know if he's waiting for me; probably not. But, I'd like to try to go back and set things right."

Pocahontas couldn't help thinking about Tarzan. She put her hand over Sabor's tooth. She didn't think she'd be able to return home after what happened to Tarzan there. Although, she didn't know where else she could go.

"What about you?" Aurora asked. "What will you do after you get Kocoum?"

"I'm not sure," Pocahontas admitted. "I suppose find another island to live on."

Aurora sighed. "It's too bad Kida is such a bitch. I love my life at sea and I wish I didn't have to give it up."

"I thought you said you wanted to go back home and fix things with Philip."

"I do. Well, part of me does. I want the closure, but at the same time I'm afraid of what I'll find when I go back. It's been so long; no doubt he's moved on. He's most likely married by now."

"So, you just want to keep running?"

It took Aurora a minute to respond. "Isn't that why people become pirates; to run away from their lives?"

Pocahontas didn't know how to respond to that. She wasn't a pirate, nor did she know anything about them. Judging by Aurora's silence afterwards, that was probably more of a rhetorical question, anyway.

The two of them sat in silence for a while until they noticed a ship slowly coming towards the dock. It was too dark to make out the ship and they stayed hidden in the shadows until they were sure it wasn't a returning royal ship. Once the ship was tied off, a few men jumped off and headed off towards the village. Most of the crew stayed on board, which Pocahontas guessed meant they weren't planning on staying long.

"I guess this is it," Pocahontas whispered to Aurora. She took Aurora's hand and the two of them snuck quietly over to the ship.

They saw a man standing on the dock at the end of the wooden ramp leading up to the ship. He was older, with old dirty clothes and a beard. Pocahontas took a deep breath and they approached him with as much confidence as they could muster.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

It wasn't until then that Pocahontas realized she had no idea what she was going to say. How do you get someone to give you a ride to another ship? She was starting to second guess her plan.

"We need to get to The Damned," Pocahontas said, finally.

"And...?"

"Can you take us to it?"

"How much you got?"

"Excuse me?"

"Money," the man clarified. "How much money do you have?"

"We don't have any money."

The man laughed. "Move along girls; you're wasting my time."

"We _should_ just forget it," Aurora told Pocahontas. "He's probably never even heard of The Damned."

The man glared at her. "Of course I have. That's Princess Kida's ship. We've had a couple run-ins with her. She killed some of my crew."

Aurora put her hand on her hip. "Ah. I see; you're afraid of her. That's why you won't take us."

The man stepped closer to Aurora. "I'm not afraid of some princess. We don't give free rides."

"Will this cover it?" a voice in the shadows asked.

The three of them turned in time to see a young woman step forward, holding a bag of coins out in front of her. Pocahontas and Aurora exchanged glances. Who was this woman?

The man eyed the woman. She was wearing tight black pants, high-heeled boots and a red top that only covered her breasts. A gold snake bracelet was wrapped around her right bicep and her black hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. The man took the bag from her and glanced down at it.

"Will you take us to The Damned?" the woman asked.

The man looked at the three girls with a wary expression. "What business do the three of you have on The Damned?"

"Revenge," Pocahontas replied. She couldn't speak for the woman; she had no idea who the woman was or why she wanted to be taken to The Damned as well. But, Pocahontas knew pirates responded to revenge.

The man raised an eyebrow. "The three of you are seeking revenge on Kida?"

"Yes," the woman said.

The man laughed. "Now _that _I'd be happy to help you with. But, who are you?"

"My name is Pocahontas; Kida killed my husband. This is Aurora."

"What about you?" the man asked the other woman.

"My name is Jasmine."

The man nodded. "I'm Captain Barbossa. And this is my ship; The Black Pearl."

Sudden laughter came from the shadows and they all looked to see a drunken man stumbling towards them. He looked younger than Barbossa. He had long black hair with a red bandanna wrapped around his head. Beads were weaved into his hair and there was something else in his hair. Pocahontas looked closely and realized it was a bone. His beard was twisted and his eyes were covered in thick eyeliner. He stood in front of Barbossa and Barbossa rolled his eyes.

"That's my ship," the man stated with a slur.

"I don't care whose ship it is," Jasmine snapped. "We need to get to The Damned right away."

The man turned towards Jasmine and smiled at her. He didn't hide the fact that he was checking her out. She held her gaze on him, though, unfazed by this.

The man extended his hand out to her. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, love. I'll get you to The Damned."


	23. Chapter 23

The Black Pearl was nothing like The Damned. It was much smaller than The Damned and it was also completely black- including the sails. It was rickety and in many spots the wood was splintered or completely broken. On top of that, this crew had no concept of personal hygiene; anytime one of them came near Aurora she had to hold her breath or breathe through her mouth. She did her best to avoid the men on the ship.

Especially Jack Sparrow.

He had a reputation as long as her leg when it came to women and she didn't want to have a repeat of what happened with Gaston. Sure, Jack was good-looking and charming, but so was Gaston. Aurora shook her head, forcing away the memory. Instead she focused on watching Pocahontas and Jasmine learning how to sword fight from Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Aurora was already good with a sword since on The Damned it was kill-or-be-killed. If you didn't kill an enemy, they killed you and if you didn't fight, Kida killed you. Being in a situation like that you learn really quickly how to hold your own in a sword fight.

Pocahontas was doing well in training. She was quick and easily maneuvered around Will. Jasmine was a fast learner and knew what she was doing, but it was obvious her emotions were getting in the way. This was going to hinder her when the time came to fight Kida.

After a couple hours, they ended the training for the night. Aurora walked over to them and joined their conversation.

"If you just focus on what you need to do while fighting, you'll be fine," Will was telling Pocahontas.

"We should get some sleep," Elizabeth said. "We could reach The Damned tomorrow night."

They all said goodnight and Will and Elizabeth headed down to the sleeping quarters. Aurora, Jasmine and Pocahontas stayed on the deck, though.

"Mr. Turner has given us his word that they're going to fight with us," Pocahontas told Aurora.

Aurora nodded, but didn't say anything. She couldn't help thinking about Meg and the rest of her crew. Would they kill Will, Elizabeth and the rest of the crew on The Black Pearl? Or would this crew kill all of her friends? Either way, tomorrow night held promise of a very bloody battle.

Suddenly, the door leading onto the deck slammed open and a man walked out, muttering to himself. When he saw the three girls, he stopped and stared at them.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"We bartered a ride from Barbossa," Aurora told him. "I'm Aurora, this is Pocahontas and that's Jasmine."

The man looked back and forth between the girls and then said, "I'm James Norrington."

"James Norrington?" Jasmine repeated, as if she didn't believe him. "As in the former Commodore?"

Norrington raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah. You've heard of me?"

Aurora had to admit this surprised her; Norrington didn't look like a Commodore. He had shoulder length brown hair that hung down down in messy waves, a little facial hair, his clothes were old and ripped and his skin was dirty.

"We've actually met a couple times," Jasmine said. "Although, I must say; you look very different."

Norrington narrowed his eyes, studying her. "I'm sorry; I don't recognize you."

"Nor would you; I was younger when we met. You were an ally of my father's in a war several years ago. We came to the ceremony when you became Commodore, but we didn't get a chance to speak with you. That was the last time I saw you."

Norrington frowned and stumbled over to the edge of the ship. "As you can see: my life has gone downhill since then."

"You didn't choose this?" Jasmine asked him.

Norrington looked at her like she was crazy. "Who would _choose _this?"

Jasmine leaned against the edge and stared down at the dark ocean. "I would."

X X X

Kida was more angry than Jim had ever seen her. Somehow Aladdin was not only still alive, but also back on the ship. To add to it; Flynn had let the Princess escape. Although, where she was now, no one knew. Flynn was now shirtless and tied to the mast in the same way Esmeralda and Aurora had been once. Kida was circling him, holding a spiked whip firmly in her hand. So far, he had not received any lashings, but everyone knew this was Kida's way of torturing him; the lashings would come soon enough.

Kida pulled the whip back and quickly slashed it across Flynn's back. Flynn gripped the mast, but didn't make a sound. Not far from Jim, Rapunzel had her face buried in her hands and was sobbing. After a few lashings, Jim noticed John part from the crowd and head up the stairs. Jim started after him, but was cut off by Meg.

"Where do you think you're going?" she hissed.

Jim narrowed his eyes at her. "This doesn't concern you."

Meg put her hands on her hips. "I think you've done enough damage to John; you need to leave him alone."

Jim looked around, then lowered his voice. "I love him, Meg, and I won't stop until I get him back."

Meg leaned in real close to him so her face was only a couple inches from his face. "And I won't stop until I see you pay for what you did to him."

"I _am _paying for it! Losing John hurts more than you'll ever know."

Jim started to walk past Meg, but she pulled out a knife and put it to his throat. "If I find out you've slept with Kida again-"

Jim grabbed Meg's wrist and pressed the knife against deep into his skin. "Go ahead and kill me. I don't want to live without John."

Meg slowly lowered the knife and stared at him. "Be careful what you say, cabin boy. I'd rather see you dead than give you another chance to hurt John."


	24. Chapter 24

Meg watched from a distance as Kida and Gaston kissed each other and then went into their room. She then went down to the main deck where she knew she would find Vanessa.

Vanessa was sitting on the edge of the ship, humming quietly to herself. Meg approached her carefully. Vanessa turned her head to face Meg.

"I'm glad I found you," Meg told her.

Vanessa's face was expressionless. "Why?"

"I just saw Gaston kissing Kida before they went into their room."

The hint of a frown formed at Vanessa's mouth. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I like you, Vanessa; I can't just sit by and do nothing when I know Gaston is betraying you like this."

Vanessa gracefully stepped down from the edge of the boat and started walking towards Kida and Gaston's room. She paused briefly in front of Meg to thank her before moving on.

X X X

Jim was jolted awake to the sound of a high-pitched scream echoing throughout the ship. He slipped on his boots and grabbed the sword he kept next to his hammock before running up on the deck. The rest of the crew was also starting making their way on deck, but they couldn't find the source of the scream. Still, they stayed on guard until they saw Vanessa storming down the stairs from the captain's room. Gaston was hurrying after her wearing only his pants and no shirt. Vanessa looked beyond angry and when Jim saw Kida walking behind them wearing only a skimpy chemise-like nightgown he understood why.

"How could you do this to me?" Vanessa cried.

"Do _what _to you?" Gaston asked.

"Sleep with _her_." Vanessa spat out the word 'her' as if she was talking about a snake. "I thought you loved me."

Gaston rolled his eyes. "Kida is my fiancee; we were only using you."

Vanessa glared at Gaston and Kida and Jim was honestly expecting to see actual daggers shooting from her eyes. But, Vanessa didn't say anything. She turned on her heel, climbed onto the ledge of the boat and jumped into the ocean. For a moment, everyone just stared after her. At first, nothing happened. But, all of a sudden, a rumbling came from underneath the ship and from the water a large creature emerged. She was grotesque with purple skin, white hair, hands with claw-like nails and the bottom half of her body was that of an octopus. Everyone gaped at the monster as it towered over the ship. It let out a booming laugh and then focused its eyes on Gaston.

"You have betrayed me, Gaston. Now you will see me for what I really am instead of the beautiful woman I was disguised as," the monster said. "My name is Ursula."

"Kill her!" Kida commanded.

The crew readied their weapons and charged towards Ursula. Ursula let out another laugh and brought up her tentacles. She then quickly slapped them down onto the deck. Wood splintered and flew off in different directions. Jim ducked behind a mast and looked up in time to see a large piece of wood shoot towards John and stab him in the side. John collapsed on the floor and Jim ran towards him.

"John!" Jim cried out. He fell to his knees next to John. "John?" John groaned, but didn't move. "I'm gonna pull out the wood."

"No, don't," John said, quietly. "The wood is keeping me from bleeding out."

"Then I'm gonna help you down to see Anastasia."

Jim started to help John up.

"Look out!" John warned.

Jim spun around in time to see one of Ursula's tentacles coming right for them. When it got close enough, Jim swung his sword and cut it. Ursula cried out in anger and Jim stood protectively in front of John. Ursula knocked Jim's sword out of his hand and then wrapped her tentacle around his legs. She knocked him down and started dragging him towards her. John reached out to grab his hand, but their fingertips only brushed against each other before Ursula pulled Jim out of his reach. Jim searched for anything to grab onto, but there was nothing. He was being pulled further and further away from John. All of sudden Ursula cried out in pain and stopped dragging Jim. He quickly rolled over on to his back to see Meg standing over him. Her sword was stuck deep inside Ursula's tentacle. She then pulled her sword out and in one swift movement, she cut off the tip the tentacle, releasing Jim. Jim unwrapped the tentacle from his legs and sprung to his feet. Ursula was now focused on Meg and was about to reach down and grab her when the sound of a cannon went off. Jim and Meg turned to see another ship approaching. Ursula turned her attention to the new ship.

"I have to help John," Jim told Meg.

The two of them rushed back to where John was lying. They carefully picked him up and helped him down to Anastasia. Anastasia and Jane immediately assisted them in getting John onto the table. John was no longer conscious, but he was still alive.

Meg grabbed Jim's arm and started pulling him away from John. "Come on, Jim, we have to get back up there and help the crew fight Ursula."

Jim allowed Meg to lead him away, but he didn't take his eyes off John until he was out of sight.

X X X

Jasmine watched in horror as the crews of The Black Pearl and The Damned fought this large octopus woman. She wanted to fight, she knew she should, but she couldn't make her body cooperate. The ships shot more cannons at the monster and they were slowly defeating her. The creature let out a loud, booming cry and brought up her tentacles. Before anyone could react, she bought them quickly down onto the ships.

An arm wrapped around Jasmine's waist and pulled her out of the way just as a tentacle came down where she had been standing. Jasmine turned to see it had been Norrington who had had grabbed her.

"Thank you for saving me," Jasmine said to him.

"Don't thank me, yet; this isn't over."

While everyone tried to recover from the last attack, the monster reached down and grabbed Kida and Gaston. She let out a laugh and then dove under the water, taking Kida and Gaston with her. Waves splashed over the two ships as the monster disappeared under the water, but then everything went still.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation, but the monster never resurfaced and neither did Kida or Gaston.


	25. Chapter 25

Meg ran towards the edge of the ship and looked down at the water. There was no sign of Kida and Gaston anywhere. She watched the ocean for several moments waiting for them to surface, but they never did. She turned around and scanned the ship's deck until she spotted Hercules walking towards her. She smiled at him and ran to him.

"They're gone!" Meg could hardly contain her excitement. "You know what this means."

"It doesn't mean anything, yet."

Meg took Hercules' hand and pulled up to the upper deck. She then whistled loudly and everyone looked up at them.

"With Kida gone, this ship needs a new captain. Hercules has been on this ship longer than anyone and knows how to run it; I nominate Hercules for captain!" Meg announced.

The crew talked amongst themselves for a while. But, just as Meg was beginning to lose hope, a chorus of "aye"s rang out across the deck as everyone voted Hercules their new captain. Meg looked up at Hercules and he was smiling brightly at the crew- _his _crew.

"You did it, baby!" Meg threw her arms around Hercules' neck and pulled him into a kiss.

X X X

As soon as it was clear the fight was over, Pocahontas crossed to The Damned in search of her brother. Aurora followed after her, but Jasmine hung back for a moment. She turned back to Norrington who was now staring over the edge of the ship at the horizon. She stepped over to him and put her hand on his arm.

"Are you all right?" Jasmine asked him.

"How did I go from Commodore to Pirate?" Norrington asked. "I thought my future held more than this."

"Your title doesn't define you," Jasmine told him. "You're still the same man."

Norrington glanced at Jasmine. "That may be true, but no one will ever be able to see passed title."

Jasmine turned around and leaned against the ship so she was now facing Norrington. "You saved my life, James Norrington. I'm sure my father will look passed your title. In fact, if you want, I can recommend you for my father's Navy."

Norrington smiled at Jasmine. "You would do that for me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Princess."

Jasmine looked over at The Damned. She spotted Aladdin right away. He, too, was staring out at the ocean. He was sad, that much was obvious, and Jasmine wondered if he was thinking about her. She looked back at Norrington. "Actually, I'm thinking of living a life of piracy."

Norrington looked over where Jasmine had been looking. "Love has a way of changing your life."

"Yes it does," Jasmine agreed. "I will talk to my father for you. Everyone deserves to choose their own life."

Jasmine walked away from Norrington and made her towards The Damned. She was intercepted by Barbossa, however.

"Are you returning to The Damned?" Barbossa asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Let their new captain know that The Black Pearl will be an ally to them should they ever need us." Barbossa held out his hand.

Jasmine shook his hand. "I will."

When Jasmine was finally back aboard The Damned she ran right for Aladdin. He instantly picked her up and spun her around, before setting her back down.

"What are you doing here?" Aladdin asked.

"I want to be with you. I love you, Aladdin."

"But you're giving up your entire life."

"You're worth it."

X X X

As soon as Ursula, Kida and Gaston were gone, Jim ran back down to the medic center. Anastasia was just finishing bandaging John's side.

"How is he?" Jim asked.

"He'll be fine," Anastasia replied.

Jim looked down at John, but John turned his head away. "John, I-"

"I don't want to talk about this now, Jim."

Anastasia glanced between Jim and John and then cleared her throat. "I'll give you two a moment alone."

Jim watched Anastasia leave, then turned back to John.

"We have to talk," Jim told John.

"Everything's already been said." John slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side of the table.

"Kida's gone."

John glanced up at Jim. "That doesn't change anything. Just because now you won't sleep with her again doesn't take away from the fact that you were cheating on me from the start."

Jim knelt down in front of John. "I will do _anything _to get you back."

"It's not about getting me back, it's about me being able to trust you again."

"You can trust him."

Jim spun around to see Meg standing in the doorway. Meg walked into the room and stood beside the table.

"Jim has proven to me that he really does love you. He fought against Ursula and risked his life to protect you," Meg continued. "Plus, you know if he screws up again, I'll kick his ass."

"Meg, I appreciate you trying to help, but I need to speak to Jim alone," John said.

"All right. But, John, it's obvious that you both still love each other and-"

"Thank you, Meg," John interrupted. "But, I need to speak to Jim."

Meg nodded and left without another word. John reached down and pulled Jim to his feet. Jim kept his head lowered; there was no way he could handle seeing the pain in John's eyes again.

"Jim, I've been hurt before; you know that. But I have never had my heart broken until now. You've said everything to try and get me back, except the one thing I've been longing to hear."

Jim finally looked at John. "I don't know what else to say. I gave you my heart and, no matter what, I'm never going to take it back."

John didn't say anything for a long time, but eventually he reached out and gently took Jim's hand.

"When you first told me you love me, you said you would never take it back. I just want to know that's still true."

"I would never take it back. I will be only yours forever." Jim paused. "Even if you don't take me back."

John stood up and leaned his head towards Jim's.

"My heart is still broken, but..." John whispered, his lips just above Jim's, "...three words and I'm yours again."

Jim's heart was pounding and it took all of his strength not to kiss John, but in the end he wasn't strong enough. Jim gently kissed John and when John didn't pull away he kissed him more urgently. It felt so good to taste John again that Jim never wanted to part from him.

"John," Jim whispered. "I love you."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

_This is the end of "The Damned". Thank you all soooooo much for reading. A huge shout out to all of my loyal reviewers, especially supersmashkingdomhearts1999._

_I will be writing a sequel to this, so be on the look out for it. Until then I will be working on "Why Are You Crying?" as well._

_Much love and magical wishes,  
_

_Avril Lambert  
_


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